Be One with the Force: My Review of Rogue One

It's a good time for Star Wars fans to be alive.

Our favorite saga that we thought had ended had been resurrected and we can expect at least one Star Wars film every year now! How cool is that? Last year we were introduced to the new generation of Star Wars in The Force Awakens. This year, we're getting the first standalone film in the saga entitled Rogue One: A Star Wars Story or simply Rogue One. 

For the first time, we're having a Star Wars movie that doesn't center on the Skywalker family. Rogue One tells a heroic story that takes place right before the events in A New Hope. As we all know, Luke Skywalker and his friends from the Rebel Alliance famously destroy Death Star at the end of that movie. Rogue One will let us know how the Rebel Alliance gets a map of Death Star which helps them destroy the superweapon. A team that names itself Rogue One runs the highly important yet dangerous mission. The Rogue One squad consists of new characters that we've never met before such as Jyn Erso, the daughter of the architect of Death Star, and Cassian Andor, a member of the Rebel Alliance. Gareth Edwards, whose previous projects include the 2014 remake of Godzilla, directed this film while Academy Award nominee Felicity Jones leads an international cast which includes Diego Luna, Mads Mikkelsen, Donnie Yen, Forest Whitaker, Riz Ahmed etc.

The Rogue One squad (Source: www.magazine-hd.com)

Before the film was released, there were rumors that reshoots were done for the movie because Disney was not happy with it. The news made me, and lots of other fans as well, really nervous. Last minute changes and problems with the studio are never a good sign, eh? But, after seeing the movie, I realized that we shouldn't have been worried because the film is awesome!

What I love the most about the new generation of Star Wars films is how they trust young, talented and visionary filmmakers and let them helm the projects. J.J. Abrams has proven that he's the right man for the film when he successfully brought Star Wars back to life last year. Rian Johnson is currently working on Episode VIII  and I'm very happy that they choose him as the film's director. One of his previous films, Looper (starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis), is one of the coolest films I've ever seen. For Rogue One, the studio entrusts British director Gareth Edwards, and I approve this as well. He did a remake of Godzilla with Aaron Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen a few years ago and I love the film very much. I think the movie makes a monster attack, which is so otherwordly, feel realistic and plausible. I can say the same thing about Rogue One. This film's tone is a bit different from other Star Wars films. As you know, the other Star Wars films are always kept "light" and child-friendly (but still cool and awesome, of course!), but Rogue One plays with a darker tone. Edwards once said that he was going to make this film a war movie because the saga has the word "war" in its title haha, and he kept his promise. I think Rogue One really captures the roughness of wars. It shows how a war can force good people to do bad things like killing and deceiving. It also shows that not everyone can make it out alive by surprisingly (SPOILER ALERT) killing all of the main characters. This reminds me of Clone Wars. Oh yes I'm still not over Clone Wars haha.

Rogue One is a war movie
(Source: imdb.com)

Introducing new characters in a saga that has such iconic and beloved characters is clearly a challenge. I was a little skeptical about this at first, but Rogue One is surprisingly successful with its new characters. The characters have strong personalities and are definitely memorable. My favorites are Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor, Chirrut Imwe and K2SO. I'm so proud of Felicity Jones's Jyn because she's a woman and she's the leader! I'm so glad they put more women in this saga! Diego Luna has officially become my new celebrity crush and favorite actor haha. His character Cassian is so heroic. And I love his accent very much (I think I have a thing for men with accents hahaha). Donnie Yen's performance as Chirrut Imwe is just so iconic! He even gives us a new quote ("I am one with the Force, the Force is with me.") and makes sure we don't forget it haha. K2SO the droid, played by Alan Tudyk, definitely steals the show with his surprisingly sarcastic personality. Oh I have to mention Forest Whitaker's character, Saw Gerrera, as well. Saw is a character that was first introduced in Clone Wars, which gives me all the Clone Wars feels. He worked with Anakin, Obi-wan, Ahsoka (Tano, Anakin's young Padawan), Lux (Bonteri, son of a senator who used to work with the Separatists but then joined the Republic) and his own sister Steela during the Clone Wars. If Saw can have a part in this movie, can we expect to see other characters from Clone Wars like Ahsoka and Lux in the future films? I told you, I'm still not over Clone Wars.

"I am one with the Force, the Force is with me."
(Source: Tumblr)

Similar to Fantastic Beasts (click here to read my review of it), Rogue One relates itself to the main story of Star Wars without trying too hard. It features tons of easter eggs that I won't mention one by one because someone has already done that here, but it has its own story and its own characters. I hope the upcoming standalone films can do the same thing. Oh yes, there will be more standalone films. I think they're working on that Han Solo film right now. I heard about a Boba Fett movie as well but I don't know whether it's confirmed or not. Those projects are exciting but I will be even more thrilled if they make an Obi-wan movie. Yes, we want Obi-wan!

So, I'm giving another five-out-of-five rating hahahaha. I just can't contain my love when it comes to Star Wars and Harry Potter, you know. Enjoy your holiday and go see Rogue One, everybody!

Rating: 5/5

Get Ready for the Awards Season!

As we enter the last month of the year, discussions and predictions regarding the Oscars and other prestigious awards start to emerge. Critics' Choice Awards announced its list of nominees for this year and, from there, I think we can see which movies are likely to dominate the awards season this time. Just click here to see the complete list of nominees in the film categories. The list of nominees makes me really excited for the 2017 awards season. Some of my favorite actors like Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone (hmmm) are there. Some films that I really want to see are nominated too, and I'm going to write about them in this post.

All images are taken from each movie's official Twitter account

ARRIVAL

I first found out about this film when one of my friends told me about it. He told me the movie was about alien spaceships that have landed on Earth, which made me think of alien invasion movies where the humans fight the aliens like Independence Day and War of the Worlds. However, it all changed when I saw this trailer.

Arrival is about a linguistics expert named Louise Banks (Amy Adams) who is summoned to investigate mysterious alien spaceships that have landed on our planet. Having no idea what the aliens' intentions are, Louise must use her knowledge to understand the aliens' language in order to be able to communicate with them before a war is declared. The film is directed by Denis Villeneuve (Sicario) with some high profile actors like Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker in the cast.

As someone who learned linguistics at school and does translation jobs, the involvement of a linguist in an alien movie makes me somehow thrilled. I never imagined someone like me could be involved in a situation like that, so it would be interesting to see how it goes in the movie. Besides, Arrival receives 10 nominations in the Critics' Choice Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actress for Amy Adams, so it must be a pretty impressive movie.

HACKSAW RIDGE

This film has been on my list of anticipated movies even before the trailer hit the internet because one of my favorite actors (and celebrity crushes hahaha), Andrew Garfield, is in it. I became more and more curious about it when I saw this trailer, which I think is really moving, and when I heard that it receives positive reviews and even Oscar buzz. An Oscar-worthy movie with Andrew Garfield as the lead actor? Count me in! This film has been released in my country but I haven't got the chance to see it. I hope I can see it soon.

Hacksaw Ridge is based on a true story of Desmond Doss, an American soldier in World War II who saved many lives in Okinawa without using any kinds of weapon. Doss refused to use weapons and kill people but insisted to join the army. He really wanted to serve his nation but believed that there are other ways besides killing to do that. The inspiring man received Congressional Medal of Honor for his merit. Hacksaw Ridge is directed by actor/director Mel Gibson. Andrew Garfield leads a cast full of, again, high profile actors which includes Teresa Palmer, Vince Vaughn, Sam Worthington and Hugo Weaving. It receives 7 nominations in the Crtitics' Choice Awards including Best Picture, Best Actor for Andrew (Woohoo!) and Best Director for Mel Gibson. I really hope Andrew wins.

LA LA LAND

Yeah, I ship Stonefield (Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield, in case you don't know...) but the reason why Emma's latest movie La La Land is on my list is not because I'm obsessed with the ex-couple. It's because this movie looks soooo amazing. Take a look at the dreamy trailer below if you don't believe me. I was so moved and almost cried when I first saw it. The way Emma sings the song is the kind that makes you want to smile and weep at the same time.

La La Land follows the journey of two people, Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), who fall in love with each other as they struggle to pursue their dreams to reach success in the show business. As you might have guessed after seeing the trailer, it's a musical, so, yes, ladies, you can see Ryan Gosling sing and dance in it haha. It's not a full-on musical like Les Miserables, though. It's more like Grease where the characters burst into songs when they feel like talking can't express their feelings. La La Land is directed by Damien Chazelle, whose previous film, Whiplash, dominated the 2014 awards season. This film leads the Critics' Choice Awards nominees with 12 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director for Damien Chazelle, Best Actress for Emma Stone (Hooray!), Best Actor for Ryan Gosling and two Best Song nominations. I have a feeling this movie will win big this awards season.

LION

Lion is led by another actor that I admire: Dev Patel. In this film, Dev is accompanied by Nicole Kidman and Rooney Mara and directed by Garth Davis. Like Hacksaw Ridge, this film is based on an extraordinary true story. When he was a little boy, Saroo (played by Dev in the movie) got separated from his family when he was lost on a train. He was then adopted by an Australian family. Haunted by the memories of his biological family in India, adult Saroo used his memories and Google Earth to track his lost family. It sounds like a movie that will make me cry and want to hug my family members haha.

Lion is nominated in six categories in the Critics' Choice Awards, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for Dev Patel (Yay!) and Best Supporting Actress for Nicole Kidman. Sia has a song called Never Give Up which is taken from this film's soundtrack, but unfortunately it's not nominated for Best Song in the Critics' Choice Awards.

Do you want to see those four films as much as I do? Or maybe you're more excited for the red carpets and the awards ceremonies? I just hope those films and the awards ceremonies will be played in our country haha.

Going Back to the Magical World: Thoughts on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Five years ago, I went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, the last film in the Harry Potter series, with my mother and left the theater with tears all over my face. My mom was very confused, just like so many other people whenever they see me fangirling over Harry Potter like a crazy person, but, hey, how could I not be emotional? 

Harry Potter is a huge part of my life. The first book and its movie adaptation came out when I was in elementary school and the last ones were released at the end of my teenage years, so I practically grew up with the series. Harry Potter is my childhood hero. He shows that a hero is not someone who kills the bad guy, but someone who cares about other people. A hero is someone who is willing to sacrifice themselves for other people and not afraid to lose, like Harry. And that world of wizards and witches... Oh man, that world really helped me free my imagination. Harry Potter also helped me find myself. You know, I wouldn't have chosen English Literature as my major if Harry Potter hadn't made me realize how much I loved English and literature. Harry Potter also has a role in my decision to be a teacher. One day, I was thinking about what I wanted to be in the future. I knew that I liked teaching at that time, but I wasn't sure about being a teacher professionally. But then I remembered Albus Dumbledore, one of the greatest man in the Harry Potter universe whose passion is to teach. That was when I realized that I shouldn't be unsure about teaching just because it isn't a popular career choice. I love teaching, like Dumbledore, so who cares if it's not popular. Besides, Dumbledore is a teacher and he's awesome, so I can be a teacher and awesome too hahaha.

So, yeah, Harry Potter means a lot to me. Seeing the last movie was like saying goodbye to a childhood best friend to me. It was bittersweet and so emotional. 

And when it was announced that there will be new films set in the Harry Potter universe, it felt like getting a phone call from that childhood best friend who tells you that he's coming to see you.

Our new favourite merry band
(Left to right) Jacob Kowalski, Tina Goldstein, Queenie Goldstein and Newt Scamander.
(Source: www.threeifbyspace.net)

Oh yeah, the witches and the wizards are coming back in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them! This film is not a sequel of Deathly Hallows Part 2, It is more like a spin-off of Harry Potter. If you're a diehard fan of the series, you must know about a textbook entitled Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander that is used by Harry and his friends during their time as Hogwarts students. This film follows the adventures of Newt Scamander, a magizoologist who is very fond of magical creatures (Sounds like Hagrid, eh?). In this film, Young Newt arrives in the United States with his case, which is full of magical creatures. Some of the creatures escape from his case and somehow it makes Newt get linked to Gellert Grindelward, a dark wizard who has  a long history with none other than Albus Dumbledore and is just as dangerous as You-Know-Who.

As a Potterhead, I am very happy with this movie. Like an old friend whom you haven't seen for a long time, this movie is different from the one that we knew and grew up with, but it still has those little things that let you know it is the same thing that you once loved as a kid. Fantastic Beasts features some things that are so Harry Potter, like the theme song, the film title that emerges in the sky, the duels with the wands, the familiar spells, the moving photographs in the newspaper, some familiar magical creatures like Bowtruckle and Niffler, etc. Those things will make any Potterhead feel nostalgic because it's been a long time since the last time we saw them on screen. Despite the traces of Harry Potter in it, I am happy that Fantastic Beasts doesn't try too much to relate itself to Harry Potter. It has its own story with its own characters whom we meet for the first time. This film brings something new and fresh for the audience. I particularly enjoy the story. It runs very smoothly with magical and funny moments here and there and big, shocking reveals at the end.  In case you don't know, Jo Rowling herself penned the script of this movie. I think she should've written the scripts of the Harry Potter films too!

The naughty yet cute niffler
(Source: www.notey.com)

Just like the original Potter films, Fantastic Beasts is visually stunning. The set, the costumes and the CGI... all are a feast for the eyes. I enjoy the actors' performances too. One of my favorite Academy Award winners Eddie Redmayne delivers a great, enjoyable performance as Newt Scamander. He looks like he was born to play a role in the Harry Potter universe because he fits perfectly there and looks very natural as a magizoologist. Dan Fogler and Alison Sudol are so funny and likeable; I'm sure they will soon become fan favorites. And Ezra Miller! His character Credence is so dark here, darker than I expected, and I think his performance is very powerful. Oh there is one more actor that made my jaw drop at the end of the movie, but I think you should see the movie by yourself to find out who it is haha.

So I'm giving this movie a five-out-of-five rating hahaha. It might be a bit unfair because I'm a Potterhead, bit I really did enjoy this movie very much. Now I am happily waiting for the next films, just like the old times hahaha. I think the next films will have a stronger connection with Harry's story. I hope J.K. Rowling will find a way to connect the stories naturally and wonderfully.

Rating: 5/5

I've Finally Read The Hunger Games!

I've become such a slow reader now.

Maybe you remember that I bought my copy of Suzanne Collins's best-selling book The Hunger Games a long time ago, in May. But, you know what, I just finished reading it last week. I spend a lot of time outside my home these days and when I reach home I usually feel too tired to read, which turns me into the slowest reader on Earth. Anyways, I've read The Hunger Games, and I love it more than I expected. I've always thought that the film adaptation is great, but I was surprised to find that the book is even better.

Source: id.pintterest.ccom

The book is told from Katniss's point of view, which makes things in the book feel more intimate than what I've seen in the movie. It also makes it easier for me to relate to Kaniss and understand why she does what she does. When I watched the movie, I wondered why she is so bitter and rude. I even found her attitude a bit annoying. However, seeing things from her point of view helps me see her differently. Now I know how hard life is for her. You know, she has to live in poverty, become the head of the family because her parents are unable to do that anymore, lose her beloved father and, of course, go through the Hunger Games... Now I understand why it's so hard for her not to be cold.

Before I read the book, I could never decide which team I was on, Team Peeta or Team Gale. But now I've made  my decision: Team Peeta! I have one friend who is madly in love with Peeta (yes, Lia, it's you hahahaha), but, on the other hand, a lot of people see Peeta as a weak person. I never hated Peeta but I was never deeply in love with him either, but, man, now I am. Josh Hutcherson portrayed Peeta very well and precisely in the films, but we all know that books can tell about their characters in a way that movies can never do. When I looked back at Peeta's actions in the film after reading the book (I watched the film again as soon as I finished reading), I could understand them more because they are explained more clearly in the narration. To me, Peeta shows that being strong doesn't always mean being good at fighting. He shows that strength has many forms. When you're able to sacrifice yourself to protect other people or stay true to yourself when the world forces you to be someone else or be caring to other people when they don't care at all, that means you're strong too. Maybe that's why people see him as a weak person; because people, without realizing it, tend to associate strength with only physical abilities. My friend says that it might also be caused by people's tendency to expect a man to be physically strong too. I agree with that. Sometimes the stereotypes make us forget that people have different qualities and that we can't generalize them. Peeta might not be physically strong. Unlike what people expect men to be, he is gentle and loving, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't have strength. Oh yeah, I love you, the boy with the bread!

"Only I keep wishing I could think of a way to... to show the Capitol they don't own me. That I'm more than just a piece in their Games..." -Peeta Mellark, page 165 (Image is from id.pinterest.com)

So, reading The Hunger Games after seeing the film makes the experience pretty interesting. I usually read the books before seeing the film adaptations, but this time I did the opposite. Doing it this way feels surprisingly great. It's like the film builds the foundation of the story in you while the book does tthe finishing. It makes your understanding of the story and characters richer and deeper. Maybe I should do this more often...

Rating: 4,5/5

Attending "Book Lovers in Digital World" by Yes24 Indonesia

Last week I only had to go to work for two days (Monday and Tuesday) because it was the first term break of the academic year. I didn't have any plan to leave Jakarta and go on a trip on my holiday so I thought I would fill it with something good, positive and enlightening. As if God knew my intention (haha), God made my old friend contact me before the holiday and inform me about an event that was going to be held by the company where she works. The event is a mini gathering for bloggers who write about books. I thought the event was a great opportunity because it would allow me to meet new people who blog and are passionate about books, just like me. So I registered for the event and went there last weekend.

The event is called Book Lovers in Digital World and it was organized by a company called Yes24 Indonesia. When you hear the name of the company, you might directly associate it with Korean things. Yes, the company does sell things like cosmetics, CDs and clothes from Korea, but I found out from the event last week that Yes24 Indonesia also sells books online. I first thought that they only sell Korean books, but I checked their website (http://www.yes24.co.id/) and found that they have many kinds of books in their online store. They have books about religions, dictionaries, language books, children books, imported books written in English and Korean, school books and textbooks. I checked the fiction section in the English books category, typed up some book titles in the search box and found all the books that I looked for in their collection. So I think their collection is pretty complete. I'm definitely going to try buying books from them because I love buying books online; it's easier and sometimes I just don't have time to go to bookstores. I will use the vouchers they gave me last weekend too hahaha.

Me and the other participants at Yes24 Indonesia's office.
Go check their website and start shopping!

At the event, I met other bloggers and we shared our thoughts and feelings about being loyal fans of printed books in the era of e-books. Even though our lives can't be separated from digital devices these days, it turns out that book lovers, including myself, still prefer reading printed books. The attendees have many different reasons why they choose printed books over e-books, but I myself like printed books more because reading them has its own sensation. Flipping the pages, folding the top right or left of a page when you find a good quote there, journeying from the first page until the very last one... There's nothing quite like it. E-books might be easier to access and more efficient, but I will always love printed books more.

Our discussion

The discussion got more exciting and interesting as we continued talking about our love for books. We all agreed that we have to spread our love of reading to other people because the people in our country, Indonesia, have generally low interest to read. I personally think that we should make reading a habit. How can we do it? I would suggest what my school does (I work as a teaching assistant for an international school in Jakarta). There, there is one period every week when the students can go to the library and choose some books to be taken home and read. After they finish choosing, they usually sit with the librarian and listen to a story that he reads from a book. My students really enjoy these activities. I think these activities really help growing children's love for books and turn reading into a habit for them.

So, I had so much fun attending the event last weekend. I hope there will be more events like this in the future because I would love to join more events like this. It's just really nice to meet and talk to people who have the same interest as me. Thank you, Yes24 Indonesia, for creating the event!

Combined Review: The Magnificent Seven & Deepwater Horizon

Sooo we have reached that time of the year when all the anticipated blockbuster movies of the summer have been released. It's October right now and there is no film this month that has much hype. I've seen a couple of movies this season. I saw Jason Statham's Mechanic: Resurrection and The Magnificent Seven in September. Earlier this week, I saw Deepwater Horizon. I think the first film is horrible in every aspect (sorry!), but the other two films are pretty enjoyable and I have some things to say about them. Here they are!

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN

The Magnificent Seven is a remake of a movie that has the same title that was released in 1960. The original movie itself is also a remake of a Japanese film entitled Seven Samurai. The 2016 version of The Magnificent Seven tells the story of Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett), a woman whose hometown is threatened by a greedy man named Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard), who intends to take over the small town. Desperate to reclaim her town but not able to fight on her own, she seeks help from a bounty hunter named Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington). Chisolm then forms a team of seven deadly cowboys who are willing to risk their lives to help Emma and her neighbors face the evil Bogue. The film is directed by Antoine Fuqua.

Source: moviesinthephilippines.com

For me the movie is not bad, but it's definitely not as magnificent as the title.

The storyline itself is such a stereotype and, from the very beginning, I know how it's going to end. It's understandable, though, as this one is a remake of a classical movie which was probably one of the pioneers of cowboy movies. Furthermore, the plot also goes a little too slowly for me. Some scenes, like the ultimate shooting scene, are too long and slow and made me a bit bored.

The Magnificent Seven has a list of great actors in its cast. There are Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Haley Bennett, Peter Sarsgaard, Byung-hun Lee, etc. So before I went to see the movie, I had high hopes in terms of the acting quality. However, I must say that I was disappointed. Well, I'm not saying that these actors have bad acting quality; I just think that their talents are not supported by good writing here, so they don't really shine throughout the movie. The story doesn't give time for the characters to have bonding time and let the actors show the chemistry that they have with one another. I think the bond should have been the focus of the movie because this movie is about a squad that is so magnificent. They should have given us some squad goals moments! But, unfortunately, the movie doesn't show this bond. To be honest, I still don't understand why the other six members of the squad are willing to join Chisolm and risk their lives for the job. They all just agree to join without any strong reason. They should've shown the reasons behind the cowboys' actions; the reasons why they make such a solid team.

There are two things that I admire from the movie. The first one is Haley Bennett's character, Emma Cullen. Although she doesn't have much screen time, we can really see her as a brave and strong woman. She stands up for her town when nobody else dares to do it and even joins the bloody, deadly fight for her freedom. I find it very inspriring. Peter Sarsgaard's performance as Bogue also amazed me. He is really unrecognizable as Bogue here; I didn't even realize it was Peter Sarsgaard until I saw his name linked to Bogue's name during the end credit. You know, I always remember him as that charming man who breaks Carey Mulligan's heart in An Education, but he looks nothing like that man here. He transforms himself into the mean and greedy Bogue here. An actor who is able to transform himself into his character is a great actor, right?

Rating: 2,5/5

DEEPWATER HORIZON

Deepwater Horizon is a movie that is based on true events. In 2010, a drilling rig called the Deepwater Horizon exploded due to some malfunctions in its system. This movie shows the story behind the disaster; the conflicts that led to it, the people who were involved in it and the brave heroes who emerged during the disaster. The movie is directed by Peter Berg while the cast includes Mark Wahlberg, Gina Rodriguez, Kurt Russell, John Malkovich, Kate Hudson and Dylan O'Brien.

To be honest, the main reason why I wanted to see this movie is because one of my fictional boyfriends, Stiles Stilinski aka Dylan O'Brien, is in it hahahaha. Sadly, Dylan's pretty face is covered in mud most of the time there, but I still enjoyed the movie.

As I said before, this movie is based on true events, so the conflicts that are featured here are very realistic and relatable. The realness of the story is also supported by the actors' great performances. I love how they all look like real people here; it makes things feel even more realistic. The chemistry between Kate Hudson and Mark Wahlberg, who play a married couple, is really sweet yet so real. Kurt Russell really transforms himself into his character here. Similar to Peter Sarsgaard in The Magnificent Seven, I didn't realize that Kurt Russell is in this movie until his name showed up during the end credit. He looks so badass with that awesome mustache hahaha. John Malkovich successfully made me hate his character here haha. I also admire Dylan's bravery to make himself unrecognizable by letting his face, that cute face that makes girls love him hahaha, be covered in mud for the entire movie. I heard he and the film's director decided to do that to make things seem real because real people who work in rigs like Dylan's characters do have their faces covered in mud most of the time. That's what you call dedication.

Dylan an his muddy face :D (Source: www.imdb.com)

The set that they built for the movie is pretty impressive as well. I heard they really built a huge set for the rig scenes in a water tank. The explosion and the fire scenes successfully made me scared. The explosion and the fire are so massive and crazy. When I remember that that kind of explosion and fire really happened and that people really did have to go through that, I just shiver. No wonder Mark Wahlberg's character becomes very emotional and broken at the end of the movie.

Rating: 3,5/5 

My Newest Obsession: Stranger Things

Have you heard about Netflix's Stranger Things? I bet you have because everyone is talking about this web series right now. I myself became aware of this series last month because there were so many articles about Eleven swimming on the internet. However, I just started watching it last week. I really want to finish the entire season in one day but I had work to do last week so I'm only on episode five right now. Hopefully I can catch up soon!

In case you don't know, Stranger Things is a Netflix original series whose first season, which contains eight episodes, was released last July. The story starts when a boy named Will (Noah Schnapp) goes missing in a mysterious, supernatural way. When Will's family and friends desperately try to find the boy, a girl, who is also mysterious, called Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) arrives in the small town and crosses paths with Will's best friends: Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin). As the mystery evolves, the people around Will start to realize that Will's disappearance has something to do with the government, an extra-terrestrial force and is somehow related to Eleven.

Source: www.tumblr.com

The premise of this series might not be new at all. I happen to be a fan of mystery stories that require us to play detectives in order to solve the mystery and supernatural stories which involve mythical creatures, so this one is, of course, very appealing for me. But what makes Stranger Things such a huge hit is, I think, because it is made and presented in a really good way. Here are some things from Stranger Things that forces me to sit in front of my laptop and watch.

It's very well-acted

Winona Ryder's performance as Joyce, Will's mother, is a winning performance. She plays a single mom who seems like she has always been shaky, even before her son disappears. Will's disappearance just makes her worse; it shatters her. And Ryder portrays this very, very well. This character makes me think and reflect on my own life as well. When I see Joyce, her story, the reasons behind her behaviors and actions, on screen, it's easy for me to believe her and root for her. But when I see someone like her in real life, someone who is known to be falling apart because of their problems, it's easy for me to think that they're just weak people who can't control their emotions. Seeing Joyce reminds me that everyone has their own story, their own reasons behind their decisions. We shouldn't judge people if we don't know what they're going through. So that's how powerful her performance is; it makes me learn something!

We know Winona Ryder is a great actress even before Stranger Things, but we didn't know about Millie Bobby Brown's talent before. The character that she plays, Eleven, is just so iconic. Don't be surprised if you see many people sporting Eleven costumes this Halloween. Who can forget her buzz cut, her deadly stare and her mysterious silence? That little face of hers sheds the darkness from her past and the trauma that she has. I mean, how can a twelve-year-old girl portray such a dark character so well? Millie Bobby Brown is such a talented actress. I hope we'll see more of her in the future.

Source: www.frogx3.com

It uniquely combines innocence and horror

The 1980s set, the child characters and the alien-related theme of Stranger Things remind me a lot of the classic movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which, as you all probably know, is about a friendship between a boy and an alien. However, those elements from E.T. are combined with elements from horror and monster movies here. So, yes, you'll find an innocent friendship between two beings like the one in E.T., but you'll also find scenes where people scream as their bodies get dragged by a mysterious monster that are similar to scenes from Alien movies. Such an odd combination, but it works for me.

The complex and relatable characters

As we get deeper into the world of Stranger Things, the characters reveal themselves as complex and layered characters with so many interesting sides. I'm always fascinated by round characters like these. My favorites are Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer), Mike's older sister who starts off as a girl who tries to be someone else in order to fit in but grows into a brave girl who fights for what she believes in; Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton), Will's mysteriously quiet older brother whose looks resemble young Luke Skywalker hahaha; and Hopper (David Harbour), the cop with a wounded soul who handles Will's case.

The killer soundtrack

The original score of this series has this disco vibe that somehow captures the extra-terrestrial theme of the story. I really love the score. The theme song that is always played during the opening credit is stuck in my head. Some old songs from the 80's that are played in the episodes are pretty catchy as well. The most unforgettable one is definitely The Clash's Should I Stay or Should I Go.

Last but not least, the mystery

The story that this series offers is the kind that makes you question so many things at the end of every episode. What has happened to Will? Where is he? Where is Barb? Who is Eleven? What is it that they're doing with Eleven and the mysterious creature in that mysterious lab? What is that creepy creature that lurks in the woods? What is that other creepy thing that Hopper finds in the lab? The list of questions just keeps growing as you finish every episode and it makes it almost impossible for you to stop watching. For fans of this kind of story, Stranger Things is very, very entertaining to watch.

If you have already become a fan of this hit series, do you have other things that you like about it? If you haven't started watching, are you interested to start watching now? Not yet? Well, this trailer below should be able to convince you.

Hope you enjoy my blog post! :)

Thoughts on Markus Zusak's The Book Thief

After an awfully long time, I finally finished reading Markus Zusak's The Book Thief. It took about three months, I think, for me to finish it. This is a new record haha. I don't know exactly why it took me that long to finish it, but I've just realized that it's always harder for me to finish a book that is written by a male author. I don't mean to be sexist or anything, but that is just what happens to me. Maybe it's easier for me to read female authors' writings because I am also a woman. Or maybe it's because men are hard to understand hahaha.

Anyways, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is about a girl named Liesel Meminger. She lived in Germany during the Hitler era. When she started living with her foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, her fondness for books started growing as well. In the midst the brutality of the war, we could see how the girl's love for the words in her books changed many things and turned them a little brighter.

Me and my copy of The Book Thief and my window :P

Even though I find the book hard to read, I still think it's a remarkable book. The story is definitely touching. It's amazing how the story shows how words, and someone's love for words, can change lives. Hans could avoid death because he was said to be good at writing and was sent to the letter-writing department instead of the war during his time as a soldier. Liesel could soothe a bunch of hysterical people in the safety basement during raids by reading them words from her novel. Their mutual love for books also united Liesel and the sad Ilsa Hermann, the mayor's wife. Liesel survived a bomb attack that (SPOILER ALERT) killed all the people she loved because of her love of writing as well. As a person who is also fond of words, books and writing, I feel very related and touched by this.

Another thing from this book that catches my attention is Liesel's anger. She was such an angry little girl. I was stunned when I read the parts where she beat her friend up when she got teased, where she channeled her anger to stealing, where she ranted in front of Ilsa Hermann after Rosa got fired, etc. It's a bit rare to find female characters in fiction who are soft and angry at the same time, so I like how this book shows that complexity. It gives me the same feeling that Supergirl gives. 

I don't have so much to say about The Book Thief but I do have so many favorite quotes from the book. So, here they are.

Somehow, between the sadness and loss, Max Vandenburg, who was now a teenager with hard hands, blackened eyes and a sore tooth, was also a little disappointed. Even disgruntled. As he watched his uncle sink slowly into the bed, he decided that he would never allow himself to die like that.

The man's face was so accepting.

So yellow and tranquil, despite the violent architecture of his skull --

The endless jawline, stretching for miles, the pop-up cheekbones and the pot-hole eyes. So calm it made the boy want to ask something.

Where's the fight? he wondered.

Where's the will to hold on?

(page 196)

On the ration cards of Nazi Germany, there was no listing for punishment, but everyone had to take their turn.

(page 422)

Yes, the Fuhrer decided that he would rule the world with words. "I will never fire a gun," he said. "I will not have to." Still, he was not rash. Let's allow him at least that much. He was not a stupid man at all. His first plan of attack was to plant the words in as many areas of his homeland as possible.

He planted them day and night, and cultivated them.

He watched them grow, until eventually, great forests of words had risen throughout Germany. It was a nation of farmed thoughts.

(page 451, The Word Shaker)

For some reason, dying men always ask questions they know the answer to. Perhaps it's so they can die being right.

(page 475)

"And please," Ilsa Hermann advised her, "don't punish yourself, like you said you would. Don't be like me, Liesel."

(page 527)

Sometimes I think my papa is an accordion. When he looks at me and smiles and breathes, I hear the notes.

(page 531)

His soul sat up. It met me. Those kinds of souls always do - the best ones. The ones who rise up and say, "I know who you are and I am ready. Not that I want to go, of course, but I will come."

(Death on Hans Hubermann's soul, page 535)

Rating: 4/5

Be Bold and Go Beyond: My Review of Star Trek Beyond

My excitement to watch the third installment of the rebooted Star Trek movies turned into sadness when I read the news about Anton Yelchin's untimely death. The Russian-born actor who portrayed Pavel Chekov in the Star Trek films passed away on June 19th, 2016, just a few weeks before the film's release date, due to a freak accident. I was really shocked and saddened when the news broke because Anton was one of my favorite actors and he was so young, only three years older than me. I knew it was going to be hard for me to watch him in Beyond but, after I heard the news, I wanted to see the movie even more because I wanted to honor him. I really enjoyed his character in this movie. His character has more screen time, is more involved in the story and flirts with the girls here! Seeing him flirt with his cute accent made me giggle. They also put a writing that says "FOR ANTON" after the end credit which broke my heart into a million pieces. Oh, Anton, you are gone too soon :'(

For Anton (Source: twitter.com

Well, enough with the sentimental part. Now let's talk about the movie! This third movie is called Star Trek Beyond. This time the legendary crew of USS Enterprise must face an enemy that threatens their unity in the third year of their 5-year mission. The villain's name is Krall (Idris Elba), a ruthless, mysterious alien who destroys the Enterprise and is able to, literally, gain power from "the strength of others" (the "gaining power" scene is quite scary, you know...). The main cast from the previous two films reprise their roles here. However, the movie is not directed by J.J. Abrams, who directed the previous two. It is directed by Fast and Furious 6 director Justin Lin while Simon Pegg, who also plays Scotty in the movie, acts as the scriptwriter as well. Besides Idris Elba, Kingsman actress Sofia Boutella and Indonesian actor Joe Taslim join the returning cast members. 

I love the cast so much. These are great, talented actors. (Source: www.comingsoon.net)

I think this movie is super fun and entertaining. It has more comical moments and dialogues that will surely be enjoyed by auidence. It also has more action sequences, I think. I was quite impressed by the scene where Krall attacks the Enterprise for the first time with his "bees". It was also nice to see the crew members spend some time outside the ship here; they spent most of the time inside the ship in the previous two movies. The things that I wish could be more explored in this movie are the interactions and the relationships among the crew members. When I heard that they were going to split up the crew, I thought we would be able to see how the crew members interact with other members who they don't normally interact with, which would be interesting to see. However, it turns out that this movie doesn't give much time for that. The movie focuses more on the crew's mission to defeat Krall and is so fast-paced, which doesn't give room to develop the characters' relationships. I understand that they don't want to fit too many things in one movie, though; it's never good to put too many things in a 2-hour movie. Maybe I should just watch the upcoming TV series to see more of that, or maybe the original series. TV shows have many episodes so they should have room for in-depth character explorations.

I enjoyed the new characters in Beyond, especially Krall and Jaylah (Boutella). I knew Idris Elba is a great actor so I wasn't surprised at all to see his powerful villainous performance. I like Jaylah because she is strong, independent and very smart (you know how I feel about this kind of female characters, right?). The main cast led by Chris Pine aka Captain Kirk is, of course, amazing. It's great to see how they have established themselves in their roles in the ship. My favorite crew member this time is Uhura, played by the gorgeous Zoe Saldana, who, like Anton's Chekov, has more screen time and is so badass here. The funniest character in the movie is definitely Leonard McCoy aka Bones (Karl Urban). His sarcasm and grumpiness never fail to make me laugh.

Source: startrekgifs.tumblr.com

I've never seen the original series with William Shatner and the gang but I'm pretty sure fans of the classic series are happy with how this movie pays tribute to the original cast, especially the late Leonard Nimoy who passed away last year. Another aspect that I like is the music in the film. That loud music that is played during the final space battle scene is just rad! I rewatched the first Trek film after I saw Beyond and realized that the song is also featured in the first movie. No wonder Kirk thinks it's a good choice haha.

Although I wish this could also be more explored, as I said before, I really like the message that Beyond tries to deliver through Kirk's struggle. After a few years working for the Enterprise, he feels lost. He wonders why he is there and feels like maybe he doesn't belong there. I find this truly relatable and understandable. I think it is relatable for anyone who's been doing their jobs for a few years like me. But, just like the lady in Yorktown says, its very easy to feel and get lost sometimes, but that doesn't mean that you have to stop doing what you're doing. It's very normal to feel bored and tired. When you feel like that, you have to remember what made you choose to start, why you wanted it so bad at the beginning. I think that will help.

That's all from me this time. I hope you enjoy this post. I'm probably going to post something else soon. It's the Comic Con weekend and there are so many panels, announcements, trailers, news and promotional materials and I'm freakin' out and have so much to say about that haha.

Live long and prosper!

Rating : 4/5

Let's Talk About Superheroes! (Part 2)

It's time for the Marvel heroes from the big screen now. Here we go.

Source: www.tumblr.com

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

Civil War opened the season of blockbuster movies this year. Technically it is the third Captain America movie, but it's more like the third Avengers movie because it features multiple Avengers team members. Similar to Batman vs Superman, Civil War is about a war between two beloved superheroes. Due to severe damages that are created by the superheroes when they try to save the world, the governments of most countries in the world demand the Avengers to work under their supervision. Tony Stark thinks it's logical for the team to accept that, but Steve Rogers thinks the opposite. The situation gets worse when Bucky aka the Winter Soldier gets involved. A conference which includes the signing of the agreement between the Avengers and the governments is ended by an explosion and Bucky gets blamed for that. Having a strong emotional connection with him, Steve decides to help Bucky, which makes him labeled as a criminal too. As the story goes, the war between Tony and Steve gets even more personal and emotional.

As you probably know, I'm not a big fan of the films that are made by Marvel Studios. But I have to admit that Civil War is a remarkable movie. The way it portrays the feud between the two heroes is really good. If you ask me which side I'm on, Team Cap or Team Iron Man, I wouldn't be able to choose. I can understand why Steve refuses to sign the agreement with the governments, but I think Tony's argument about why they should sign it has a point. I think it's very human for Tony to be angry when (SPOILER ALERT) he finds out that Bucky kills his parents, but I can't say that Steve is wrong for defending his best friend until the end. This is the kind of war between two heroes that I want to see. It really is good vs good here, even though there is still an evil third person who manipulates things. It's very interesting to watch.

The best scene-stealers in this movie for me are the new characters: Spider-Man and Black Panther. Yeah, I, surprisingly, love the new Spider-Man. I didn't expect to like him this much because I really, really love Andrew Garfield's version of Spidey in The Amazing Spider-Man movies. When I first heard that they were replacing Andrew with young Tom Holland, my heart broke. But Tom's portrayal of the hero in this movie just made me fall in love with Spider-Man all over again. I was just so happy to see our young, smart, excited, funny and pure-hearted hero again. Maybe it's not just Andrew that I love; it's the character itself too. And then there's Black Panther. I know nothing about this character's comic book history, but he is just so cool in this movie. The costume and the way he fights are so neat, elegant. And I find his accent quite sexy too hahaha. The female characters, Black Widow, Scarlet Witch and Sharon Carter, are pretty badass too. They should include more female characters in the Avengers movies. They even deserve to have their own movies!

Oh, hey, Spidey! (Source: www.dailysuperhero.com)

Rating: 4/5

X-MEN: APOCALYPSE

Apocalypse is the third film in the prequel trilogy of X-Men movies. This time, the X-Men must face a mutant who claims himself as the first and the most powerful mutant in the world: En Sabah Nur aka Apocalypse. He recruits four other mutants (Magneto, Storm, Psylocke and Angel) and plans to destroy the human race so that he can build a new world in which he is the leader, the God. Apocalypse's threats somehow bring back the disunited squad together and help them deal with their issues.



Source: phimhayso.com

I think the premise of the story has been overused in Hollywood. As for the villain, I find Apocalypse aka Mr En Sabah Nur a little too... magical. Maybe I'm so used to seeing superhero films being as realistic as possible because it seems to be a trend these days. His physical appearance, the way he talks, the way he gets resurrected (which involves a hidden cave and ruins that light up when the sunlight touches them), and his dialogues about ruling the world made me cringe. I'm so sorry but the premise and the villain are a bit cheesy for me.

However, I still find this movie quite entertaining. The iconic characters and the way the actors portray them are the ones that save this movie. Each character here has their own style and characteristics which make them all unique and so unforgettable. Professor X on his wheelchair with his calm and caring attitudes, Magneto with his burning anger and dark past, Mystique with her blue skin and mysterious personality, Quicksilver with his slow-motion scenes, Cyclops with his special glasses... They have great arcs and the actors played their characters very well too. This movie is really a treat for the characters' fans.

Rating: 3,5/5

Let's Talk About Superheroes! (Part 1)

So many superhero movies these days, eh? The heroes don't only dominate the big screen, actually; they have started taking over the small screen as well. As films like Captain America: Civil War and X-Men: Apocalypse are played in cinemas, TV shows like Arrow, The Flash and Supergirl are aired on TV every week. All of them are based on popular comic books and have so many devoted fans. No wonder they receive huge success and become more and more popular.

I saw Civil War and X-Men earlier this month. I've been watching The Flash and Supergirl too (I'm a bit slow at catching up with these shows, though). Here are some things that I've got to say about them.

 

I love these photos so much. They're the cutest superheroes ever. (The left picture is from fangirlish.com and the right one is from www.flickr.com)

THE FLASH SEASON 2

I really enjoyed the first season of The Flash, so I was really excited for the second season. The season finale of the second season has been aired but I haven't reached that episode yet. I'm on episode 18 now and so far the season has been entertaining. 

The Flash's main enemy this time is Zoom, an evil speedster who comes from Earth-2. Earth-2 is an alternate universe that gets connected to Barry's universe due to the black hole that was created at the end of season 1. Zoom wants to steal The Flash's speed, so he sends a bunch of metahumans from his Earth to Barry's to hunt and kill the guy. Zoom is not the only person from the other universe who comes to Barry's universe. We are introduced to Earth-2's Flash and Harrison Wells as well. While we get the evil Dr. Wells's doppelganger who looks exactly like the Dr. Wells that we know (and hate), we get a different Flash from Earth-2. It's not Barry Allen; his name is Jay Garrick. When the two first arrive in his universe, Barry finds it difficult to trust them even though his friends, Cisco, Caitlin, Joe and Iris, want to give them a chance. Apparently, after Wells's painful betrayal, Barry now has trust issues. We also get to see some familiar faces again this season, such as Eddie Thawne, Firestorm aka Ronnie Raymond, Linda Park, The Arrow aka Oliver Queen and his Team Arrow, The Trickster, Hartley Rathaway, etc. There are some new villains besides Zoom as well. The most memorable one is probably Killer Frost, Caitlin's evil doppelganger from Earth-2 whose superpower reminds me of Elsa from Frozen hahaha.

Killer Frost from Earth-2 (Source: thenerdsofcolor.org)

The story runs very smoothly this season. There are some shocking twists that I didn't see coming at all. It's a bit similar to season 1's storyline as it also involves an evil speedster and a betrayal from someone who is close to Barry, but somehow the repetition makes the story great. Even superheroes make the same mistake twice sometimes, eh? My favorite thing from the first season is how deep and emotional the story is, so I'm glad that they keep that in the second season. This makes me feel totally connected to the characters and love them even more. I cry a lot watching this show. It's kind of surprising because it's a superhero show, but I love it.

I'm also happy to see how the characters in the show, especially Barry and Iris, develop. In the era where every film-maker tries to turn supeheroes into dark characters, the show's creators make Barry different. Barry is a ray of sunshine who is warm, kind, pure-hearted and naive. He makes me believe in humanity hahaha. I also like how we can see Barry's struggles in becoming a superhero. As a young hero who doesn't have much experience, sometimes Barry makes mistakes, rushes things, makes the wrong decisions, loses control, fails, gets angry, gets betrayed in a way that has happened before, etc. I find this realistic and relatable. Young people like us still have so much to learn, right?

I once said that I really don't like Iris in season 1, but, you know what, she is one of my favorite characters in season 2. In season 1, she was just Barry's love interest to me. But now that she knows that Barry is The Flash and is in Team Flash, she is able to give more contributions and be a hero too. Besides that, I love her own arcs too, you know, the ones with her mom, Francine, and her brother, Wally (Yup, Wally West!). And also the way she deals with losing her fiance, Eddie. Those arcs show how strong and wise she is as a woman. I love it.

SUPERGIRL SEASON 1

I'm even slower when it comes to watching this one. The first season of this new series has been aired as well, but I'm only on episode 10 now. I really want to reach the crossover episode where The Flash visits Supergirl but it's so hard to find the time to watch. After work, all I want to do is just lay on my bed hahaha.

Supergirl follows the journey of Kara, Clark Kent's cousin from Krypton. When she was a teenager, Kara was sent to Earth to protect Clark, who was still a baby at that time. However, Kara arrived a few years late on Earth. When she arrived, Clark had grown up and become Superman and no longer needed her protection. So, Kara was adopted by the Danvers family and tried to live a normal life. However, as she grows older, she realizes that she has to embrace her true self and use her powers to help people.

I'm not very familiar with Supergirl or Superman history, but I think this series features some famous characters from the comic book like Maxwell Lord, James "Jimmy" Olsen and the Martian Manhunter aka J'onn J'onzz (I have no idea how to say that name correctly). It features some interesting villains like Livewire, a former radio presenter who accidentally gets the power of controlling electricity when Supergirl tries to save her. I haven't reached the episode where she first appears but there is Siobhan Smythe aka Silver Banshee in the first season, a supervillain who seems to be pretty famous among the comic book fans.

The most admirable thing from this show to me is how it depicts its female characters. All the women in this show have complex, interesting stories and characteristics. There is Kara/Supergirl, the lead of the show. I really love how she is portrayed in this show. She doesn't immediately become a great superhero like her cousin; she really starts from scratch. In this first season, we can see how Kara learns how to be great superhero, which involves making stupid mistakes, getting criticized, being underestimated, having anger management problems, etc. I especially love what they do with Kara's anger. It is rare to find a female character with this complexity. She is such a sweet and loving girl but she also contains this burning anger inside her. Yes, women are complex like that.

Don't mess with angry Kara (Source: ww.ign.com)

And then there are other female characters: Cat Grant, Kara's boss who is mean, wise, annoying and smart at the same time; Alex Danvers, Kara's sister (not her biological sister) who works for an institution that deals with aliens and helps Kara do her superhero works; Lucy Lane, James Olsen's girlfriend and Lois Lane's sister who works in the military; and Astra, Kara's aunt who used to be very close to Kara but has to become her enemy due to her violent ways in fighting for what she believes in. So the hero, the villain, the mentor... they all are women here. I think it is very cool. My favorite is Cat Grant; she is just awesome and delivers some great quotes!

I originally wanted to write short pieces for all the four films/tv shows that I mentioned above, but they got longer than I intended hahaha. So I think I'll split this post into two parts. Part 2 is coming soon!

My Visit to Big Bad Wolf Books Indonesia

My first blog post as a 24-year-old woman! I suddenly feel old because 24 means you are not in the early 20s anymore; you have entered the mid 20s! You are an adult! It is still weird, you know, to see myself as the adult one, especially when I am at work. I spent years being a student but now I am not a student anymore; I am the teacher now, the adult one who leads, makes decisions, gives examples, etc. It is certainly not easy to adapt with the new situation but I am working on it. I still have much to learn.

Anyways, my birthday happens to be the last working day of last week because the following four days were public holidays. So, I had dinner with my family after work that day and went out with my friends on the next day. My friends and I went to the Big Bad Wolf Books Indonesia. It is a massive book exhibition that is held at ICE (Indonesia Convention Exhibition) in BSD City, Tangerang. There, books from various genres are sold with insanely low prices. To illustrate, imported novels normally cost Rp. 150.000,00 - Rp. 250.000,00, but during the exhibition, you can get 3-5 novels with that amount of money because one novel only costs Rp. 45.000,00 - Rp. 60.000,00. Yeah, that is a great offer. The exhibition has been going on since April 30th and was originally scheduled to close on May 8th. However, due to people's' high enthusiasm in visiting the event, the committee decided to extend it until today. You do not need to buy tickets to come to the exhibition.

Books everywhere

I went there with my friends on May the 5th, the first day of the long weekend. One of my friends and I arrived there at lunch time and we were shocked by the super long queue that awaited outside the venue. It took around 30-40 minutes, I guess, before we finally got inside Hall 10, the venue. Inside the hall, all that I could see were people and books. The books were set on huge tables and were grouped into some genres (romance, fiction, cookery, music, biography, etc). It was pretty hard to find the books that you want because they do not separate them based on their authors. It was hard to move around the hall too because there were just so many people there. There were people lining up in front of the cashier, people looking for books, people looking for their friends... And then we had to wait for about an hour before we could finally pay for the books and leave the hall. So, it was pretty crazy and tiring, but, hey, we got great books with cheap prices!

Lia, Nofi and me. After queueing, book hunting and queueing again, we could finally bring our books home!

I did not plan to go crazy and spend all of my money there, so I politely bought three books. And I got one bonus book from my friends! Here are the books that I got from Big Bad Wolf Books Indonesia.

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Well, you all know what this book is about, right? So I think I do not have to say anything about the story haha. I have always wanted to read this book and the rest of the series, but since I started watching the movie adaptations first, I decided to finish the movies before I start reading the books. Now that I have seen all of the movies, I think it is time for me to read the books. I found a copy of The Hunger Games, the first one in the series, as soon as I entered the exhibition hall. According to my friend Lia, the one that I bought has the UK cover. I really like the cover because it is so bright (the background is electric pink while the writings and the mockingjay logo are electric green). The price for this book is Rp. 60.000,00. I was tempted to buy the second and the third books as well, but decided to try one first haha.

2. One Day by David Nicholls

I first heard about this book when the movie adaptation came out. I have not seen the full movie, but I heard it received mixed reviews. Despite the mixed reviews, I find the premise of the story interesting. The story tells what happens to two friends, Emma and Dex, on every July 15 for the twenty years that follow their first meeting. It must be interesting to check on these two characters every year and see how much things change. And they have a complicated relationship that is in between love and friendship, which I find TOTALLY relatable hahaha. So, yeah, I am excited to read this book. Like The Hunger Games, One Day costs Rp. 60.000,00.

3. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

Once in a while I like to read light, fun stories just to ease my brain. That is why I bought Something Borrowed. It seems like a nice rom-com story. It is about a woman who has always held herself back, which makes her miss so many opportunities in her life (ehm so relatable ehm). But everything changes when she decides to confess her feelings to the man she loves, who is her best friend's fiance. I got a copy of the book that has the movie cover (Yeah, it has been adapted into a movie. I think every book has a movie adaptation now, eh?). This one is a little cheaper than the other two books; it only costs Rp. 45.000,00.

4. Bonus: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Well, I did not buy this book at the exhibition. My friends who went there with me, Nofi and Lia, gave the book to me as a birthday present. It is a perfect present because I am a huge Star Wars fan and my birthday is on Star Wars Day (May the fourth be with you!). It is a novelization of the sevent movie. Well, I have seen the movie and have known the story, but I am intrigued to find out how the movie scenes are turned into words in this book.

I am so excited to read all the books above, but I want to finish reading The Book Thief first. I think I would not need to go to the bookstore for the next few months because I still have four books waiting for me haha. Thank you, Big Bad Wolf Books Indonesia! I hope the event will be a annual one so I can come and buy cheap books every year haha. 

When You Break Your Own Heart Loving Someone: My Review of The Danish Girl

I am in the mood for something tragic and heartbreaking. Oh yes, sometimes I can be a masochist haha.

So I decided to search for a book and a movie that suit my mood and found Markus Zusak's The Book Thief, a book, and Tom Hooper's The Danish Girl, a movie. I just started reading the book but I have finished watching the movie, so this post is going to be about the movie.

The Danish Girl is a 2015-released film that is directed by Tom Hooper. My favorite actors, Academy Award winners Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander, star in this film. This movie received so many nominations and even won some during this year's awards season. It is based on the true story of Lili Elbe, the person who became the first ever patient of a gender transformation surgery. Before the surgery, Lili was a man named Einar Wegener who was married to a female painter named Gerda. This film follows Einar's and Gerda's struggles as Einar realized that he was a woman trapped in a man's body.

Oh yes, that beautiful lady in the mirror is Eddie Redmayne as Lili in The Danish Girl. The one who is painting is Alicia Vikander as Gerda.

I find this movie hard to watch. The way it depicts Einar's identity crisis is just so... explicit. There are scenes in this film that almost made my eyes pop out, like the scenes where Einar kisses a man (played by Ben Whishaw) as Lili for the first time, the scene where Einar is having a therapy, and the scene where Einar stares at his body in the mirror and tries to make himself look like a woman. It is not disturbing; it is just... eye-opening, I guess. I had never known how it felt like to be like Einar, you know, to feel like you are trapped in a wrong body. This movie makes me understand how complex and difficult the situation is. It makes me think a lot about transgender people. A lot of people, especially in my country, criticize and even try to punish them for what they do. It is not that I agree with their decision, but I do not think criticizing and punishing can help them.

As Einar slowly transforms himself into Lili, we can see that he is not the only one who struggles. Gerda, Einar's wife, has a hard time dealing with the situation too. Gerda loves her husband, and all she wants is for him to be happy. But what makes him happy is being a woman, which means that he cannot be Gerda's husband anymore. I can see how that crushes Gerda's heart, but she still loves him and does everything that can make Einar happy. Even when Einar is gone and replaced by Lili, Gerda still stays with her and help her. The way Gerda loves Einar/Lili is just unbelievable. She is willing to break her own heart to make the one that she loves happy. I think that is what you call true love.

The strongest part of the movie is definitely the acting. I thought Eddie Redmayne could never top his award-winning performance in The Theory of Everything, but his performance here as Einar/Lili proves me wrong. His performance is superb. At the beginning of the movie, he manages to make Einar look like someone who is not himself, someone who is holding himself back. As Einar realizes that his true self is Lili, we can see how Lili slowly emerges and explores the world like an innocent little girl. It is just astonishing. If Leonardo DiCaprio was not nominated in this year's Oscars, I think Eddie would have won his second Oscar.

While Eddie did not manage to get his second Oscar this year, his acting partner in The Danish Girl, Swedish actress Alicia Vikander, won her first trophy. I think she totally deserves it. Her performance as Gerda is so powerful. I feel so related to her character and, without realizing it, I followed the story from her point of view. I like how she shows the playful, free-spirited and idealistic side of Gerda at the beginning of the movie. It shows that she is not a flat character, not just the wife of the main character. I like how Alicia shows how Gerda can be fragile too. I can really feel how hurt her heart is as she slowly loses her husband. Whenever I saw her trembling as she struggles to stay strong in front of Einar/Lili, I could not hold back my tears. The most heartbreaking Gerda scene for me is when she comes home crying and begs Lili to hold her as Einar because she needs to hold her husband, but Lili tells her that she cannot do that. This does not mean that Gerda is weak; it shows that, sometimes, even the strongest women can break and need their men to just hold them. Gerda has proven that she will always be there for Einar/Lili, but Einar/Lili cannot do the same for her. It must really hurt. Duh.

So, this movie is a heartbreakingly beautiful one with great acting and deep messages. Some people might find it a little disturbing, but when you try to understand what is behind the shocking scenes, you will realize how inspiring the story is.

Rating : 4/5