The Host: Movie Review

So I didn’t get to see Stephenie Meyer’s fifth book to movie feature during its regular run. And I didn’t read the book beforehand either. While I didn’t love it, and I didn’t exactly hate it, I admit that I felt like it was a watered down version of Twilight, but with werewolves and vampires subplanted with aliens who possess human bodies.

The Host is the story of Melanie Stryder (Saoirse Ronan), one of the remaining humans on Earth after parasitic aliens have taken possession of most of mankind. During one of their runs, Melanie is cornered by “Seekers” and she chooses to end her life rather than become an alien host. However, instead of dying, she survives and the soul called Wanderer is placed in her body. As Wanderer tries to gain control of the body, Melanie fights back and gives her “guest” a taste of what being human is really like. She compels Wanderer to return to the resistance, where the love of her life Jared (Max Irons) and her brother Jamie (Chandler Canterbury) are hiding. Things get complicated when Wanderer falls for Ian (Jake Abel), another member of the group and a vengeful Seeker (Diane Kruger) remains on their tail.

The Host had all the ingredients to make it a blockbuster hit. It had a great cast of hot young stars, a great soundtrack and the story was based on a popular piece of young adult literature from the author of the Twilight franchise. However, none of these elements were enough to save the film from itself,  since it was basically a generic YA love story that felt like a composite of other better plotted Sci fi novels, but with less depth and detail.

The film was not without its strengths. Max Irons and Saoirse Ronan had great chemistry, true. But this strength was not enough to compensate for my annoyance at both the characters of Melanie, who came off as quite abrasive and manipulative to Wanderer; or the shallowness of Jared’s character.  In truth, I kind of liked the character of Wanderer better, as with Ian, the supposedly secondary character of the piece as they proved that they had more depth and had a better story than the two leads, whose storyline basically revolved around kissing and groping each other.

All in all, The Host was very uneventful and insubstantial. Many opportunities were lost because the story in itself was unimaginative at best and perhaps written to prove that Stephenie Meyers had something up her sleeve apart from the Twilight saga. Even the ending of this film was the height of cheesiness. Don’t get me wrong. I read all the  Twilight books and loved them. I even watched all of the Twilight films and thought the last one was good. But Sci Fi is not really Meyer’s forte. In itself, the genre is quite tricky and complicated. It’s not just regular fiction.

My advice? No more sequels to this one, please.

A tale of two Les Miserables

composite photo courtesy of http://www.krisjimena.blogspot.com

When Les Miserables came out in 2012, it made me think of another version of the Oscar conteder — another version in 1998 starring Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush. So I decided to hold off the review and do it together, after I’ve seen both films on video.

It may sound like a sacrilege to some but while Les Miserables is one of my favorite musicals, I am not as familiar with the actual story as I am with the songs. I am happy to say that basic premise of both films are the same. The story revolves around Jean Valjean, a convict who was releaqsed from prison after 19 years for stealing some bread. But while his offense was minor, he was issued a yellow passport upon release, warning people that he was very dangerous that he would need to report for parole for the rest of his life. This did not make life easy for Valjean as he was judged by people and turned away at every opportunity. But an encounter with a Bishop manages to touch Valjean’s heart and the simple act of kindness inspires him to start afresh. Years later, his hard work sees him as the just mayor of small town in France, but his troubles seem to follow him with the appointment of his former jailer Inspector Javert to his district. As he tries to keep his secret, he is faced with moral choices and new challenges that would pit the two against each other all the way to Paris.

Both movies were excellently cast and it is quite difficult to say which Jean Valjean was the best. In 1998, Liam Neeson gave life to the character in a very subtle and effective way. He was very releateable as an everyman trying to reform. His interaction with Uma Thurman’s Fantine was very heartwarming and much more clearly established.

Hugh Jackman works the docks as the convict Jean Valjean in the 2012 film’s opening sequence.

Hugh Jackman’s version of the character, on the other hand was much more raw and intense, perhaps due to the fact that his suffering was highlighted better from the opening sequence of the film. His performance was so gut wrenching and moving. This was  quite a feat given that he had to convey his emotions through song, and not numbers that are easy to sing at that, if the veins on his neck and forehead were any indication of its difficulty. For the part of Inspector Javert, I thought that Geoffrey Rush had a slight edge against Russel Crowe mainly because his need for order and rules was better conveyed. Crowe as the anti-hero seemed too human because of his expressive eyes, which won him the Oscars twice for his stirring performances in Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind. And just to clarify, his vocals were not as bad as some bashers have indicated. Perhaps not as strong as the others but he is not a professional singer so viewers need to cut him some slack.

While Uma’s Fantine took on a lengthier part in the 1998 version, Anne Hathaway (who won Best Supporting Actress for the role) earned her keep with her emotional rendition of I Dreamed a Dream — a masterclass in acting. I can’t believe this was the same girl who starred in romantic comediess like The Princess Diaries and Ella Enchanted. She has truly matured as an actress.

As for Cosette, I never quite connected with Claire Danes for the part, nor with her Marius, Hans Matheson. The dude looked smarmy.  In contrast, 2012  Marius Eddie Redmayne (Marius) had me enthralled from the moment he sang his first note. He completely took my breath away with his strong vocals in both his solo and ensemble performances. Isabelle Allen as the young Cosette had excellent chemistry with Jackman and she had a great voice and a charismatic persona while Amanda Seyfried as the teenage version of Cosette, did well enough  in her role, but it was nothing I have not seen before.

Marius (Eddie Redmayne) holds Eponine (Samantha Barks) behind the barricade as the fight rages on.

I noticed that the 1998 version was wanting for one vital character — Eponine, the lovesick daughter of the swindlers (Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter)who sold off  Cosette to Valjean after Fantine’s passing. Samantha Barks who debuted in film for the role delivered such a haunting rendition of On My Own that I don’t think there’s any lovesick girl who could ever see her performance without a handkerchief. I was completely rooting for her the entire time. Little Daniel Huttlestone also made his mark on the latest version as the streetsmart and brave orphan Gavroche. This kid is a star.

Basically, both films employed different approaches. Director Billie August (1998) chose to go the dramatic route and did not incorporate musical numbers into his film. His storytelling was slightly different to the updated version but I felt that he told a complete story and the actions of the characters were better explained. August had the advantage of having superb actors in his cast as well.

The 2012 version, helmed by Tom Hooper, stayed faithful to the musical for which the play grew famous for. It went all out with the production to produce a visual masterpiece, and depicted Paris as the desolate and decrepit place that reflected the status of people in that era. This, filmmakers supported with cast members with strong theater backgrounds that delivered compelling and larger than life performances  that roused one’s spirits with familiar songs that tugged at the heartstrings. I think the greatest advantage of the 2012 version was that it worked as an ensemble, with each character supporting the other, lending ore strength to the performances. Even the supporting cast members shone in their own right, especially Aaron Tveit who played young militant leader Enjolras. In fact, there were plenty of standouts but somehow, the performances blended into one strong showing It was tricky because one mistake in the casting could have taken the whole story down but somehow, Les Mis was able to pull it off.

All in all, Les Mis tells of a universal message that rings true up until present day. It was no surprise that both films were excellent in their own right because the source material was a literary gem that communicates to the audience on an emotional level. It spoke of stereotypes, and inequality, forgiveness and repentance, hope, love and freedom, concepts and ideals that each and every man relates to.

However, if I were to judge which I liked better, I would have to go with the musical. There is just an intensity in the performances that drew me to it, that gave it an edge over its straight drama predecessor. And it was not because any singular effort of any of the actors, as well, but rather because of the combined output of all who were involved in the film. The film has heart, as Gene Hackman quoted in The Replacements, “miles and miles of heart.” And this is just something that does not happen with every movie. Besides, Les Mis isn’t quite Les Mis without the music. But that’s just my opinion.

Beautiful Creatures: Movie Review

Since the end of  Harry Potter and Twilight movies, studios have been scrambling to find literary materials that would appeal to hordes of teenage fans obsessed with young adult book sagas, but not all have been successful. Case in point is Logan Lerman’s Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, which was supposedly the first in a series of five books (The studio has given the green light for book 2 despite book 1′s less than stellar output).  Suzanne Collins’ dystopian novel The Hunger Games seemed to have tapped the market, with the first movie raking in millions of dollars in revenue. But still, the competition remains fierce and Alcon Entertainment’s adaptation of Beautiful Creatures, authored by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl seemed like another attempt to replicate the success of other book to movie franchises.

Ethan Wate has been having weird dreams of a mysterious girl for several months already, and in each one, something bad always happens. This is the closest to excitement that he has experienced as his regular life in the small town in Gatlin, is anything but. When the niece of town recluse Macon Ravenwood arrives, Ethan is immediately drawn to her and for good reason. She is the girl he has been slowly falling in love with for months and it would seem that their destinies are intertwined.

When I read the first book of the saga, I thought that setting the novel in the South was kind of refreshing because of its connection to the rich history of the United States. Combining history with modern day Casters, with light trying to banish the dark and a Caster/Mortal romance caught in between was also a fresh new take on the Romeo and Juliet theme. Translated into film, I am not quite sure if it worked.

For one, producers did not pick a heartthrob with Robert Pattinson-like looks to play the main character. Rather, they opted for newcomer Alden Ehrenreich to play the lead opposite Alice Englert’s Lena Duchannes. The chemistry between the two stars was unmistakable, making their scenes the true highlight of the movie. To a certain degree, Ehrenreich’s strategy of playing Ethan as a rather goofy charmer instead of the book’s more intense character worked well for movie viewers as they were able to relate to him more and enjoy his performance. The problem was it took away from the general sense of urgency that should surround the film, especially since danger was supposed to be imminent the whole time.

The film was also too slow and too wordy. There was too much dialogue explaining the backgrounds of the Casters, the history of the curse, etcetera, etcetera — the result of failing to establish early on the relationships of the characters to one another. The change in the sequencing made sense, but I think the main problem was basically in presenting the events in the story. I think the key sequences did not make as much an impact as it should because they were simplified and shortened to make room for yet another Ethan-Lena makeout scene.  The fact that the soundtrack was not as cool as Twilight, and that Lena was only 15 years old at the time, did not help their cause any. Such a shame because there were plenty of opportunities for the movie to come out with original music based on the book.

Come to think of it, there were plenty of opportunities missed with the elimination of many parts of the book. Boo Radley, Macon’s dog was nowhere to be found, and his reports would have made for a much less boring town hall meeting. I was also not a big fan of combining the character of Amma, who was supposed to be the Wates’ housekeeper, and Marian Ashcroft, the town librarian in the book. The problem was the two characters were very different, and the portrayal for any one of them did not quite hit the mark. I did not think Viola Davis, no matter how critically acclaimed her performance in The Help was, did any justice to any of the two characters in this particular movie. She did not pop out, she did not deliver. She was just there, looking grim for 95 percent of her exposure. I wasn’t quite sure if she was underplaying her role because of the audience but whatever she did, it did not work. Veteran actress Emma Thompson was another disappointment. She was annoying, as what Mrs. Lincoln should be but her attempts to be as sinister as Seraphine fell as flat as a pancake. Jeremy Irons was the only veteran to pull in his weight.

The ending can serve well as a closer to the series should the producers decide not to pursue the saga, but can also double as a cliffhanger for the next one. All in all, its not perfect but a passable romance fantasy adaptation. But it could have been better. It could have been so much better.

For my review of the book, click here.

War Horse: A Belated Review

I have wanted to see War Horse as soon as I saw its behind the scenes piece on HBO in 2011. However, when I missed it on cinema and got it on video,  it took a while for me to finally commit and see it after watching the first five minutes of the film and getting teary eyed already. As frequent readers of this blog would know, I cry in any movie featuring animals and this is the same reason I have yet to see We Bought a Zoo, Mr. Poppers’ Penguins and A Dolphin Tale and it took me three years to see Hachiko. Anywhow, now the deed is done,  I am glad that I finally got to sit through this inspiring and heartwarming tale of a young boy and his horse amid the turbulent times of World War I.

From the moment Albert Narracott (Jeremy Irvine) first saw the colt Joey the day he was born, he knew that the horse was meant to be his. And when his father returns from the auction one day after purchasing the young thoroughbred for a much higher price than the working horse they intended to buy for their farm, he vows to care for the horse, raise him and train him to do all the things that a farm horse would do. From the onset, they share a unique bond, Albie’s patience is rewarded by Joey’s obedience and his love was rewarded by the horse’s loyalty. But when hard times fall on the family and war is declared in Europe, Albie’s father is forced to sell his beloved horse to the military. Albie tries to enlist but is rejected by the officers because of his youth but the farm boy vows to follow Joey into war, and be with him again after it is all over.

From the first minute, War Horse was a masterpiece. The cinematography and the scoring hinted at an epic and even with limited dialogue, eye contact and body language between Albie and Joey, their bond easily communicates to the audience. Jeremy Irvine, being a relatively new film actor at the time, was very subtle in his role, but was very sincere and earnest in his portrayal that his character’s innocence and love for his animal affects the audience in an emotional level. On the other hand, the horse who played Joey was a magnificent creature not just because the animal was a beauty but because he had so much personality. When he stepped up to sacrifice himself in dragging the heavy artillery, I was crying as his footsteps almost buckled from the weight.

War Horse is a bit long as it spans Joey’s experiences during the war (which took four years). It chronicles his journeys, his triumphs and defeats and is a catalogue of his uniqueness, compassion and resourcefulness that made his adventure as a solider all the more poignant. It is not one dimensional as the story also tackles his life away from Albie, and Albie apart from his beloved Joey.

War Horse is an epic story that reaches out to the viewers on a cellular level. It is inspiring and it carries a message of hope that stays with the audience even after the credits have rolled. It is an excellent piece of cinema adapted from a children’s book written by Michael Morpugo three decades ago. It is a story whose formula has been used countless times on dogs, cats, dolphins, whales, apes and penguins but still, War Horse manages to make it an all new experience again that audiences will appreciate on a different scale. There is a reason why Spielberg is one of Hollywood’s most respected directors and weaving magic like this is on the big screen is one of the reasons why it is so.

The Shining: Classic Review

Stephen King’s The Shining was first adapted into film in the year that I was born (1980) by director Stanley Kubrick, who is best known for disturbing psychological thrillers like The Clockwork Orange. I’ve had the video of this movie for quite sometime now, as with the book but I wanted to read it first before checking it out. But now that the book sequel is about to be released, I figured I should probably get a head start and see this Jack Nicholson starrer first before fans of the original drop references to the Overlook Hotel left and right and spoil the experience for me.

Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), a former teacher turned writer who is going through a rough patch in his career accepts a job as caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, a luxurious hotel located atop the Colorado mountains for the five month winter break in which the hotel stops operations.  Jack sees the job as an opportunity for him to concentrate on his writing and at the same time bond with his family, after an accident with his son Danny, a boy who has a special ability to see the past and the future (an ability called The Shining) and communicate with others with a similar gift — causes a rift in their relationship. But what seemed to be an originally ideal scenario for the Torrance family suddenly becomes deadly as Jack is inexplicably drawn to the hotel and refuses to leave, even as spirits trapped inside it influence him into harming his family.

For a movie done in the 1980s, The Shining, up to this day holds up as a very creepy thriller, owing perhaps to the acting chops of its lead Jack Nicholson, whose portrayal of a man who is slowly losing his grip on reality is not only convincing but spot on. His gradual change into a rather sensible man into a madman possessed by his love for the hotel was very remarkable, even while hints were left at the beginning of the film with regard to the direction that his character was about to take. Shelley Duvall played her role as the meek wife Wendy was at times annoying due to her protracted moments of panic but I was thinking that I might not be too effective if placed in the same situation. The kid who played Danny (Danny Lloyd) was so adorable and one can’t help but sympathize with the kid. My favorite scenes of him was him driving his tricycle around the hotel. He just seemed so small and helpless inside a gigantic location surrounded by evil.

All in all, The Shining took a bit long in establishing the terror but did not fail in providing a sense of eeriness as almost each scene is accompanied by  ominous sounding scoring. Cinematography wise,  it did a great job in showing the contrast between the family’s isolation and the hugeness of the hotel which works in favor of the horror aspect of the movie. At the end of the day, there are still questions that I still need answered after seeing the movie and perhaps, this is a perfect opportunity to read the book.

Mission 2013: 52 books, 52 movies

I’ve realized in the past year, considering the amount of books left on my TBR pile that I’ve kind of fallen behind on my reading. And considering the amount of movies on my TBW files, so have I lagged in the film viewing department.

So my mission for this year, is  to catch up on my reading by reading at least one book a week. As for movies, my target is to watch at least one movie (old or new). So far, I’ve been on target, I’m happy to report.

So just to keep track of things, I’m starting my list right here:

Books

Week 1: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

Week 2: Life of Pi 

Week 3: Beautiful Creatures 

Movies

Week 1: One More Try

Week 2: Haywire 

Week 3: Life of Pi

Beautiful Creatures: Book Review

Ethan Wate is a typical sixteen year old living in the small town of Gatlin, whose only claim to fame is its role in the American Civil War. He’s popular in school because he plays basketball and he’s currently the flavor of the year as far as news goes with the death of his mother from an accident. But Ethan yearns to get out of town as quickly as he can. He can’t take much more of the townspeople’s small-mindedness, nor his father’s zombie like state after his wife’s passing. But then, Ethan starts to dream about a girl, whom he keeps trying to save from danger. And then a dark haired stranger named Lena Duchannes comes into the town, and Ethan can’t help but feel drawn to her quiet beauty. When they find a locket in the ruins of an old plantation, their connection intensifies and they discover that they are bound together by a shared history and a curse that could ruin Lena’s future on her sixteenth birthday.

For a book with two authors, Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, I must say that Beautiful Creatures, the first of a four-part series has great consistency. Collaborations don’t always work and sometimes feel forced but such is not the case with this book. It would seem that the authors put their head together to come up with a strong plot even before they wrote the book so each knew where to start where the other left off.

Beautiful Creatures, with over 500 pages, is by no means a short book, but readers will breeze through it, especially around halfway through because the story begins to intensify, as does the relationship between Ethan and Lena. More complications start to crop up with each revelation.

I liked that the book was quite complex, having more than one facet to uncover so while it is a gothic love story, it is also a mystery in its own right. It had layers, lots of it. It did not only rely on the Casting aspect, which would have already sold the book to millions of readers. Instead, it chose to incorporate some historical facts to blend them into the story. I am not very familiar with the great American wars, since I am not an American but its great to read about them in a contemporary style that is not so heavy or overly dire (wars have a tendency to be downers). I have no doubt that after reading this book, many readers will look for history books to counter check the facts and perhaps, in doing so, learn about the actual events , what truly went down during the war.

I also liked that the story was told from Ethan’s perspective, as most love stories are presented from the female standpoint.  Its refreshing to have a love story told from the point of view of a guy, especially a teenager. It just seems no frills straight to the point yet at the same time endearing because of its honesty. In this sense, one can feel the chemistry of the two leads just by reading between the lines.

But more than the Romeo and Juliet angle with the Caster/Mortal storyline, I generally liked the book because it had genuinely relatable supporting characters like Link, Amma, Ridley and Macon.

While Beautiful Creatures basically followed the formula of YA novels before it like Twilight and Harry Potter or the Shadowland series, it stands out from the rest of the pack because it added something new to the equation – it mixed fantasy with facts, or rather worked the fictional story around actual events during the war so that instead of just being a book about magic, or vampires or zombies, the story becomes more rooted to reality. Another thing the book has going for is the unique flavor from the south that has been incorporated into the story which made it quite interesting.

All in all, I liked Beautiful Creatures a lot. Not only did it have cool cover art but the inside of the book is worth every minute spent reading it. I hope that the following books are just as good because I can’t wait to read them. I know, I’m a bit of a late fan of this series but I actually prefer having the saga completed before I read them because then, I won’t have to wait until the next book release.  Highly recommended for history buffs and fans of gothic literature.

Life of Pi: Movie Review

When I described the book as extraordinary, I thought that there would be no way that the movie could translate the same level of magic to the big screen even if it faithfully adapted each element to the film. What I hadn’t counted on was that the movie had some things going for it that the book did not.  In this case I would call my enjoyment of both mediums pretty even. The book was extraordinary, but Ang Lee’s film version was nothing short of a magnificent piece of cinema.

Life of Pi is based on the novel of the same name written by Yann Martel. It tells the story of Piscine Molitor Patel, so named after a public pool in France, a favorite place of his father’s best friend whom he fondly calls Mamaji or uncle. The film briefly accounts Pi’s early years, how he changed his name to take after the mathematical figure, in bits in pieces, as he accounts his experiences for the benefit of a young Canadian writer who is looking for an extraordinary story to write about. It is also to this writer that he shares his survival story which involves 227 days lost at sea in the company of an adult Bengal tiger by the name of Richard Parker.

I loved the book. Of this, there was no doubt but I also liked the movie. After seeing it, I have a finer appreciation of India and its culture. I would especially like to visit the town of Ponchiderry, the place in which Pi’s story began. While the Ponchiderry zoo was more spacious and less colorful than I had originally imagined, it nonetheless provided the audience with a visual feast and and entertaining opening billboard.

While Pi (Suraj Sharma) held his own in his big Hollywood debut, it was the tiger who played Richard Parker who stole the show. The beast was equal parts regal (when the occasion called for it) and adorable, when he shows his vulnerabilities. I loved Richard Parker. Even when he snarled a lot, and was cranky for most of the movie, he reminded me still of my own cats in his mannerisms and general indifference. The kids in the cinema liked him too. He was such a big personality. I have no doubt that Richard Parker will soon be a popular name among domestic cats in the weeks to follow.

The cinematography for this movie was awesome from start to finish, most especially during the night when tiger and boy were lost at sea. The colors surrounding the small lifeboat, accentuated by the darkness of the sky and the sparkling of the stars was amazing to behold. Even if it was done by special effects, credit should still be given where its due.  It was beautiful to watch, and I for one, was captivated.

Kudos also to the animal trainers. There were a lot of species in this movie and the shoot must have been a riot. I would have enjoyed being there to see how it went down.

There was a slight lag in the pace towards the end but this was mainly because this was the same direction that the book took so it wasn’t such a big deal. The minor tweaks that the filmmakers did to the book in its movie adaptation were also good and served to improve the cinematic value of the feature.

All in all, the book for me was more moving, mainly because it was more descriptive. The movie, on the other hand, focused most of its power to sell the survival part, which was also touching, in its own way. Kudos to the filmmakers for still integrating violent parts of the book to the movie, and presenting the sanitized version tastefully for the sake of young viewers. But this film’s biggest success is correctly sending out the emotions that the book evoked through its marvelous writing.  This is a movie interpretation that not only sought to adapt a book into the big screen but went on to deliver its  core message as well.

Life of Pi: Belated Book Review

I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that I’ve had Life of Pi on my TBR pile for several years now, long before it was optioned for a movie. The book was a gift from my brother, which he gave to me because he knew I loved tigers (If you’re not a first time reader of this blog, I may have mentioned this fact a couple of times). However, it is precisely because of this love for the animal that I chose to save it for later so that I could savor the feeling of looking forward to reading it longer. After the long wait, it turns out it was every bit as good as I had imagined. There is only one word to describe this book, and it is extraordinary.

Life of Pi tells the story of Piscine Molitor Patel, an Indian boy with an unusual name, who hails from Ponchiderry India during the time politics was in transition in the country. His middle class family, fearing radical changes that would affect them, decides to move to Canada in search of a better life. But the trip that was supposed to herald a brighter tomorrow for the Patels, quickly becomes tragic as their ship encounters a major mishap. Piscine, who has christened himself Pi after the mathematical figure, barely sixteen years of age, finds himself lost at sea in the company of a young adult Bengal tiger with the unusual name of Richard Parker for 227 days, on the sole lifeboat that escaped the accident.

Surviving the shipwreck and outwitting the tiger to stay alive is just one part of the Pi’s story. More than his ordeal at sea, the story also focuses on his early life, his discovery and appreciation of religion (which led him into choosing it as one of his majors in his eventual stay at the University of Toronto), and his experiences that eventually helped him deal with tragedy and contributed to his success. Each page is filled with wit and honesty, which makes for an entertaining account of Pi’s mishaps, his triumphs and his other shenanigans, with varied results.

Aside from having a tiger in the lead, my favorite part of the book was the actual storytelling. What struck me the most about author Yann Patel’s writing was his sheer talent in providing clear and detailed  descriptions of the surroundings, of the people, the culture, the atmosphere. Readers can’t help but feel like they’ve stepped into 1960s India with each of Pi’s accounts. This, I think, aids readers in imagining the beauty of the setting, and helps give them an insight into the personalities and actions of the characters. The descriptions are just so vivid that the story just seems to leap from the pages and grabs the readers’ attention, no questions asked.

I especially  liked Martel’s style of injecting tidbits of facts about the animals in the zoo in the first person narration, doing it so casually that it just becomes part of the narrative’s appeal. I thought the manner in which explanations about animal behavior were incorporated into Pi’s dialogues, (which later on helped him deal with his ordeal), his experiences in finding God, his dealings with his family, all contribute somewhat to main bulk of the story, and makes readers connect with each character, human or otherwise, on a deeper level. Readers feel an affinity for them, as Martel makes them care about what happens to each and every one. The rhinoceros and the goat, the snake and the mice, the tiger and the goat, the tiger and the hyena are just some of the standout stories that added more meat to Pi’s growing up years. Also of note is the author’s ability to shift Patel’s style of narration, from a wide eyed child to a cynical survivor, which is  quite impressive.

I loved Life of Pi because one can’t help but like Pi and Richard Parker, as first adversaries, and later as allies. Pi is a strong character with his fair share of weaknesses. And in his storytelling, he acknowledges his imperfections. Richard Parker, on the other hand, has everything going for him, unfortunately, despite his advantage in size and hunting skills, he too has imperfections – his pride and his inability to deal with his seasickness. These flaws are actually what makes these two characters so endearing. I must admit that while they were on the lifeboat, I was constantly worrying about them, wanting to read quicker so that I would get to see what happens to this unlikely duo. I liked that there were parts of the story that highlighted their differences while there were also parts that focused on their similarities, which provided the balance in the tone of the book. However, I liked their moments of quietness the best, when both are not trying to assert supremacy, but just acknowledging the presence of the other amid the loneliness at sea. Half of the time, I was trying to think of ways for them to survive with the limited tools available on the lifeboat. This was quite an engaging segment of the book.

Personally though, I’m not sure if the last chapter was a stroke of genius or a miscalculation. On the one hand, it gets readers to rethink their impression about the earlier chapters so it kind of pushes them to revise their perspective. On the other, it plants a seed of doubt on what actually happened on the boat that some of the magic loses its luster. I guess in the end, this would depend on the reader, which ending (the philosophical or the fantastical) he would choose to bring with him.

Still, for me, last chapter or no, I still felt that Life of Pi was an excellently written piece, which mixes the profound with the trivial, which entertains yet urges questions, and inspires people to become like Pi, who had the courage to write his own story and dictate his own destiny in the face of tragedy. All this he has managed to accomplish simply because he did not give up and he dared. It also encourages readers to walk in Pi’s shoes (although he only had shoes in the beginning) and reflect on their own lives, their own faith and their own philosophies. It gives readers a chance to step out of the box and ask what if?

All in all, Life of Pi was an exhilarating read, a suspenseful adventure, and a moving tale that urges reflection and deep thought. It was, in a word, excellent. I would read this again for sure just to spend more time with the oddly named duo of  Pi and Richard Parker. But for now, its time to see how Ang Lee’s movie fares against its literary counterpart.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book 4: Dog Days Review

I must admit that after the third book of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series The Last Straw, I’ve fallen behind in reading about the adventures of Greg Heffley. But even though most of the humor is juvenile, and its target market is actually 8-12 year olds, this series is actually one of my guilty pleasures. I got this one as a Christmas gift from my officemate and finished it in one sitting. I was grinning from the start to finish.

In Jeff Kinney’s third book, Greg Heffley chronicles his eventful or uneventful summer break (whichever way you choose to see it) wherein his mother nags him into engaging into more outdoor summer activities — attempts that he resists with all his might with the use of silly excuses that no self respecting adult would fall for. Add to this his shenanigans with his best friend Rowley in which he tries to manipulate Rowley into doing the things he doesn’t want to do, his feeble attempts to get close to Heather Hills, the hot teenage lifeguard at the public pool, his uphill battle with pet ownership, and his hilarious encounters with hairy adult men in public showers.

I must say that Greg is one entertaining character, and this is the reason I love the Wimpy Kid books. He hatches up all sorts of stupid plans (which he believes will actually work) and all this actually revolves around getting out of doing actual work, getting rich quick or rubbing elbows with the in crowd. I like that Greg is a reflection a normal childhood and that each reader is able to connect with him on a different level. Even the sad parts of his life are written by the author tongue in cheek (kudos). It’s actually quite interesting to see how all of Greg’s plans are so transparent and he is so confident to actually put them into action.

Greg is brash and impulsive but he is like any normal person. He wants to roll in cash without having to do actual work. He thinks he is God’s gift to the universe (We all think this sometimes). He has siblings that he loves but drive him crazy. He has a best friend that is gullible to a certain degree, who oftentimes land on top despite Greg planning things to go otherwise. He wants to conquer the world but when things don’t go his way, he does not sulk. Rather, he hatches a new plan. We could take a few pages out of this kid’s book, frankly speaking.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a great read for kids because its funny, silly, sometimes disgusting — but at the end of the day, lessons are learned somewhat. It teaches kids the value of reaping what you sow, as Greg’s not so well meaning ideas often land him in more trouble while his moments of selflessness earn him praise. For adults, its just fun to channel one’s inner child and view the world in the eyes of a kid, whose only worry is how to get the latest video game, or con one’s parents into going to the amusement park to try the coolest ride. The illustrations further contribute to the comic feel of the books and this is just awesome. This is the type of book that one can read over and over again without growing tired of it. I just love it.