Reliving the Tale as Old as Time: Thoughts on Beauty and the Beast

Two years ago, Disney released its first live-action version of its own classic princess film, Cinderella, and received great success. The film, directed by Kenneth Brannagh, is critically acclaimed and brought a lot of profit to the company. I personally love the film as well because I think it really is lovely, beautiful and somehow refreshing and traditional at the same time. My favorite part of it is the adorable chemistry between the two lead actors, Lily James and Richard Madden. It's just so amazing. So, just like every Disney princess fan in the world, I was really excited about Disney's second live-action princess movie, Beauty and the Beast. I had such high expectations.

In case you don't know, BATB is led by everyone's favorite girl Emma Watson. She, of course, plays Belle, the Beauty. She is joined by Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Emma Thompson and so many other famous actors who play the iconic characters from the original animated film. Bill Condon, whose previous projects include the final installments of The Twilight Saga, is the director of the film.

Source: http://artlover67.deviantart.com

I don't mean to compare BATB with Cinderella but I have to say that I love the latter one more. However, that doesn't mean BATB is a bad movie. 

BATB really stays true to the original movie, the animated one. The costumes are very similar to the ones in the 1991 film. They also use the songs that are featured in the original film. They even keep the original storyline for this film too. This is great, especially if you are one of those people who demand adaptations to stay true to the original versions, because the original story is really good. However, it makes the movie too familiar and predictable. I was hoping for something that can make the story still faithful to the original one, but deeper. Maybe they should show more interactions between Belle and the Beast, or maybe more glimpses of the Beast's life before he gets cursed. Unfortunately we didn't get that.

Some other things in the movie that annoy me are the scene where Belle takes her father's place in the Beast's castle and the Be Our Guest sequence. I find the first scene that I mentioned quite strange. It might work in the animated film but it doesn't really make sense when you put it in a live-action film. Meanwhile, the second scene is a bit too long and cartoonish for me. I know it's such an iconic song but that's just how I felt when I was watching.

Now let's move on to the good side!

Emma Watson is crazy beautiful as Belle in this film. From the moment she first appears on the screen until the end of the film, she always manages to stun with her beauty. Her singing voice is suprisingly good as well. Her version of Belle makes me feel related to her in the same way that Belle in the animated film did. Belle loves books, wants more that other people have got planned and can't help but adoring men who love books haha. Emma really is the perfect Belle.

I really wish I could see more of Dan Stevens in his human form in the future. He seems like a talented actor but I couldn't really "see" him here. Maybe I should start watching his new TV show Legion. Luke Evans successfully brings Gaston to life in this film. His Gaston is just so nasty and makes me hate that character so much (this is a compliment). Josh Gad's Lefou is hilarious and the way he acts reminds me of Olaf in Frozen hahaha. Maybe because Josh is the man behind those two characters.

Just like all Disney princess films, BATB makes me so mushy. The ballroom dance sequence makes me smile like an idiot hahaha. It just awakens every girl's fantasy to be a princess and wear a pretty gown and dance with a prince. As I grow older, I've started to become so pessimistic about love and relationships, but films like BATB and Cinderella make me believe in the beauty of love again.

I just love seeing this dreamy photo of Belle and the Beast
Source: http://www.digitalspy.com

Last but not least, the songs. The song whose title is also used as the film's title is currently stuck in my head. I was surprised when I realized that I still remember the lyrics! Among the new songs that are especially written for the live-action version, my favorite is How Does a Moment Last Forever? Parts of it are sung in the film by the actors while Celine Dion sings the one played during the (stunning) end credit. The song is just so beautiful.

So, BATB is not a great, Oscar-worthy movie, but it is quite fun to watch. It will make you forget all your problems and frustration for a while, smile and sing the iconic songs over and over.

The next live-action princess films that are in the works are Mulan and Aladdin. The latter is one of my favorite Disney animated films, so I'm very excited to see it. I'll happily wait for it while playing the songs from BATB until the replay button breaks haha.

Rating: 3/5

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

New Blog Post with New Short Reviews!

Hello!

I haven't been writing for a pretty long time, eh? Actually, I've always wanted to write but I hadn't been watching films and reading books a lot over the past few weeks, so I had nothing to write about. I had to save my money for other important things and had limited internet access at home, so I couldn't go to the cinema or buy books or stream my favorite TV shows at home. This made me a little crazy... and lonely.

Life does feel a little lonely these days. Well, for me.

So I have just moved out from my parents' house and started living alone in a rented room again. This is not my first experience of living on my own, but it feels surprisingly different from the previous experience. When I was a student, I didn't feel lonely at all. I saw my friends every day and did everything together. We used to walk to the campus together, eat together, work on our assignments together, stay up all night together, etc. I used to have a double life as a student/teacher at that time, so I was super busy. At that time, life was so lively. I didn't have time to feel lonely.

But now everything is different.

I don't have my friends here. The other people who rent the rooms in my building don't seem like they are interested in making friends with me. Most of my co-workers at my current office are married with children, so they're all busy with their family lives. There are others who are still single like me, but they are super busy as well. I think I should make myself super busy too. Maybe I should get a side job...

But at least I get good internet connection here. So I can watch movies online again. I can finally catch up on The Flash, Teen Wolf, How to Get Away with Murder and Supergirl! And update my blog too, of course.

So I'm going to share my thoughts about several films and TV shows that I've recently seen. Here we go.

1. The 5th Wave

This movie is adapted from a series of novels which I heard is quite popular. It's about a teenage girl who tries her best to survive an alien invasion that happens on Earth. The aliens perform several waves of brutal actions in order to wipe out the humans and own the Earth. The fourth wave begins when the aliens start inhabiting human bodies, making it difficult to differentiate between the aliens and the humans. The surviving teenagers must fight for their planet before the final wave, which is the fifth one, starts.

For me, there is nothing special about this movie. The story is not new; it's quite similar to Stephenie Meyers's The Host. I expected great acting from the leading lady, Chloe Moretz, but her performance is just mediocre. There are no impressive special effects or cool action sequences either. My date even fell asleep during the movie. Sooo I'm not satisfied with this movie. The teen actors are good looking, though haha.

2. Supergirl

Supergirl was one of my most anticipated new TV shows last year and I have finally seen the pilot episode. I'm a little late though; the pilot was first aired in November last year. As I expected, it is very similar to the other superhero show, The Flash. I think the first episode is quite rushed. Like The Flash, Supergirl decides to wear her superhero suit and fight bad guys on the first episode. I've always thought it would be better if they give some time to these heroes to deal with their powers before they put on the suits, but they probably want to get everyhting settled quickly so that they can develop the story. However, I like the actors who are involved in this series. They're so lovable, especially Melissa Benoist (Kara/Supergirl) and Jeremy Jordan (Winn). I just hope they will slow down on the next episode and let the story and the characters grow. The Flash did it and I like it very much.

3. Kung Fu Panda 3

This movie is the third installment of the popular Panda saga haha. This time, Po the Panda has to come back to his home and learn how to be a real panda in order to get the ability to fight his latest enemy. I think the story is independent and not directly related to the previous films. I haven't even seen the second movie (I don't even remember that there is a second movie, actually), but I had no problem in following the story of the third movie.

I didn't expect it to be good, but it suprisingly is. The story is quite simple, but the message is very powerful. It reminds us that, in order to reach greatness, all that we have to do is be ourselves. We have to figure out what we can do best and develop it. We shouldn't try to be someone else. Just be... ourselves, the awesome version of us. I think this message is very heartwarming.

It is also surprsing to know that all the voice actors from the original film come back for this one. Those are well-known, busy actors like Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman, Seth Rogen, etc. It's really cool to know that they all come back for the third time. Maybe they just love the animal characters as much as we all do.

My Spoiler-Free Star Wars: The Force Awakens Review

Yesterday, December 18th 2015, Star Wars: The Force Awakens was finally released in my country. Before, it was set to be released on the 16th here, which made me make plans to see it on the 17th, my last day of work before the Christmas holiday. It would be perfect to celebrate the beginning of the much-anticipated holiday by watching this movie with your loved ones, right? My brain was so ready to see it on the 17th too. So, when it was announced that it would be released on the 18th, I was SO MAD. Well, I just had to wait for one more day, but still... It's a typical fangirl problem.

So, I watched it alone yesterday because my usual date could not watch it with me due the sudden change and the fact that he is so busy. It was actually good to see it alone. I could focus on the movie and go on the crazy fangirl mode freely haha.

How is the movie? It is AWESOME. Here is a list of things that I love about the movie:

1. They keep the traditional Star Wars things. It felt really amazing to see the writing "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" showed up at the beginning. And then the title and a short explanation of the current situation came up in the famous Star Wars style with the classic theme song as the background music. Man, I almost cried seeing them. The famous quotes like "May the Force be with you" and "I have a bad feeling about this" are kept too, which strenghtens the Star Wars feel of this movie. 

2. The new heroine, Rey. Two thumbs up for Daisy Ridley for bringing this character to life. She is just so lovable and relatable. She has a heart that is pure, kind and brave but lonely and scarred. She reminds me of young Luke, actually. The fact that she is a girl and the main character in the movie makes me really proud. The previous trilogies are led by male protagonists but this time we have a female protagonist, which is really cool. I hope this character will develop and become even better in the upcoming films.   

3. Another new character, Finn. He's just so funny and sweet. And lovable too, just like Rey. I'm still curious about his background, though. I have a feeling he is related to someone from the previous films haha. Well, I hope we will get to know more about his past in the next movies. 

4. The Darth Vader of the new generation, Kylo Ren. If Rey resembles young Luke, Kylo resembles young Anakin Skywalker. Like Anakin, Kylo seems to be very... conflicted. He certainly finds it difficult to control his anger, just like Anakin. I like this villain because, you know, I love complex characters haha. Kylo is involved in two insanely shocking scenes in the movie that made my jaw drop. Prepare yourself for those scenes!

5. The original trio. Luke, Leia and Han don't have much screen time in The Force Awakens. We all love those three characters but I think it's good to make them the supporting characters. The fact that they don't dominate this movie is kind of surprising but it makes the story more natural. These characters blend with the new characters and support the story when it is needed. I like this.

6. The flying scenes. The Millenium Falcon, the X-Wing... Oh, the flying and shooting scenes are cool and fun and so Star Wars.

7. The lightsaber fight scenes. They are not as classy as the lightsaber fight scenes in the prequel trilogy; they are more... rough here. But I think this goes well with the story. The ones who fight with the lightsabers in The Force Awakens are not trained Jedi Knights while the ones in the prequels are trained Jedi Knights in their glorious days. So, it makes sense if their fighting style is more rough. However, I hope we will be able to see the prequels' sophisticated kind of lightsaber fights in the future films. The prequels might not have remarkable storylines but their fight scenes are really, really cool.

8. The famous supporting characters from the original trilogy. Chewbacca! R2-D2! C-3PO! Seeing these characters again after all this time made me smile. I really wish we could also see other characters from the past films like Master Yoda, Obi-wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Mace Windu and, of course, Darth Vader. But I don't think it's going to happen *sigh*.

So, overall, the movie is amazing. As a fan, I'm genuinely satisfied and happy about it. Thank you, JJ Abrams and his crew, for bringing back our beloved saga in a classy way!

Rating  : 5/5

What I Got from My Last Outings

Since I graduated from university, I haven't been spending much time with my college friends. It's just so hard for us to meet because we all work in different places and have different schedules now. This is sad because we used to spend a lot of time together and have so much fun. I miss those days when I got to see my friends every day, attend classes with them, eat with them, complain about the tasks that the lecturers gave us together... I miss my college friends so much.

But, I got the chance to see some of my best friends over the last few weeks. Two weeks ago I went to see The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 with my fangirling partner, Lia, and my super busy PE teacher friend (hahaha). Last week, I met my mentoring group members (I used to be a mentor for junior students when I was still a student). And yesterday I had an early Christmas lunch with my former co-workers, most of whom are my college friends too. Seeing them makes me really happy and I hope we all can do that more often.

My blog post is not complete if it does not include book and movie stuff haha. So, yeah, I am still going to review something here. As I said before, I saw The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 two weeks ago. I didn't just see it in the cinema, actually; I saw it with 499 other people who are diehard fans of the Hunger Games saga from the saga's fan community. It was really fun because everyone was so excited and passionate about the movie (they screamed a lot during the viewing event). We got some cool Hunger Games merchandises too.

Katniss and her star squad in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

For the movie itself, I think it's a good one. My favorite from the saga is still the second movie, Catching Fire, but Mockingjay Part 2 is still a great conclusion to the saga. My favorite thing about the movie is probably the acting. I don't know why I didn't realize this before, but Jennifer Lawrence's portrayal of Katniss is really good. She truly transforms herself into the character. When I saw the movie, I didn't see Jennifer at all because I only saw Katniss. I am always fascinated by actors who are able to do that. I think Josh Hutcherson does a great job too. Just seeing him and his traumatized expression makes me sad. My favorite character dies (in a horrible death scene that involves mutants with sharp teeth) in the movie, so I'm so broken-hearted haha.

When I was waiting for my mentoring friends to come last week, I strolled around a bookstore and found a novel that I had wanted to read. The novel is Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl. Rainbow's other novel, Eleanor & Park, is one of my favorite books (read my review of it here). It is simply beautiful, easy to read and, like Park says in the book, really makes you feel something. So, I hope Fangirl is just as awesome as Eleanor & Park. I'm pretty sure I will be able to relate to the story because even the title is so... me haha.

Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl

That's all from me today. I'm sure it will take some time until I can write my review of Fangirl, but I'm definitely going to review it. Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens is coming to theaters in less than two weeks and I can assure you that I'm gonna watch and review it as soon as it is released. I hope I can see the movie on the first day because I just can't wait any longer haha.

Have a wonderful year-end holiday! :)

Thoughts on The Light Between Oceans and Spectre

After a long, long time, I finally managed to finish reading The Light Between Oceans! Actually, I finished reading the book a few weeks ago, but it has been really hard for me to find the time to write about it. I go out a lot during the weekends now. and when I don't, I am usually too lazy or too tired to write haha. But now I miss writing, so I will write my thoughts on that book and the movie that I saw recently, Spectre. Oh, there might be spoilers ahead, so watch out haha.

THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS BY M.L. STEDMAN

In this book, there are three lives that get intertwined. Those are the lives of Tom Sherbourne, a war hero who signs up as a lighthouse keeper after he comes back from the war; Isabel Graysmark, Tom's young wife who longs for a child but keeps losing the chance to have one; and Hannah Roennfeldt, a woman whose life falls apart after she loses her husband and baby.

After losing their third baby, Tom and Isabel find a boat that carries a baby girl floating in the sea near the island where they live in isolation. Even though Tom is hesitant in doing it, they decide to keep the baby because Isabel thinks the baby is a gift from God after all the pain that they have been through. Little do they know, their decision will heavily impact someone else's life and their own future.

This story is such a beautiful one. I really love the words that the author choose to tell the story. The story is actually quite dark because it explores how death and loss can affect people, but somehow the words give the sense of purity and innocence to it. This gives me a mixed feeling. The beauty of the diction makes me admire the story, but what happens in the story itself makes my heart hurt. So, yeah, this book gives me all the feels.

Another thing from the book that touches my heart is the moral message. The message of this story is very common, very true, but often forgotten by people: let it go. We often forget that sometimes we should not enforce things, that we should just let go of them. We often forget this, like Isabel, who cannot accept the fact that she has lost her babies and insists in keeping a baby that is not hers. Like Hannah, who cannot accept the fact that her daughter has changed and can never be the one that she used to be. Things just get worse when they cannot let those things go, but when they are finally able to do it, the tangled problems just disentangle themselves. I like how this message is delivered in this book.

Rating : 4/5

SPECTRE

Spectre is the twenty-fourth Bond movie and Daniel Craig's fourth Bond movie. This time, it features Oscar winner Christoph Waltz, who plays the main villain, Lea Seydoux and Monica Bellucci as the Bond girls. Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris and Ben Whishaw join Daniel Craig in reprising their roles as M, Moneypenny and Q.

Ben Whishaw and Daniel Craig as Q and Bond

Even though Dame Judi Dench's M died in Skyfall, she is still the one who sends Bond for a mission in this movie. It turns out that she recorded a video for Bond before she died, which tells him to kill a man and attend the man's funeral. This funeral leads Bond to a secret organization, which surprisingly connects him with some enemies from his past.

Actually, I am not a fan of Bond movies, but I really enjoyed the previous Bond movie, Skyfall. So, I had quite high expectation for Spectre. After finally seeing it, I must say that I am quite disappointed. The story is not engaging at all. And I was really tired and cold when I was watching the movie, which makes it even harder for me to follow the story haha.

The acting element is not impressive either. Not bad, just not impressive. This is quite surprising because the actors who are involved in this movie are great, talented actors. I still love watching Ben Whishaw's Q here, though. I love how he represents young people in Bond movies. And he has more screen time here, which makes me happy haha.

Rating : 2,5/5

Movie Reviews: Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials & The Martian

It's getting harder to find time to do my hobbies these days.

I still haven't finished reading The Light Between Oceans. I haven't been watching the second season of How to Get Away with Murder. I haven't been posting my writings here... My weekdays are just sooo exhausting because there are sooo many things to do at school. The terrible traffic in Jakarta makes it even worse; it takes hours for me to reach my office from my house and vice versa. At the end of every day, I'm always super exhausted. I just have no strength to do anything. Thankfully, I manage to keep my weekends free from work-related thingy, so I can have some time to rest and do my hobbies, like today.

Today I want to write about the two movies that I saw recently: Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials and The Martian. Here are my thoughts on those two films.

MAZE RUNNER: THE SCORCH TRIALS

This movie is adapted from James Dashner's novel, The Scorch Trials (read my review of it here) and the sequel to last year's The Maze Runner. As I wrote in my review of the book, the one thing that I don't like about it is how Thomas seems to obey WICKED. Luckily, the director of the movie adaptation, Wes Ball, seems to agree with me. He alters one part of the story (SPOILER ALERT! Thomas and his friends escape from the WICKED facility and go out to The Scorch instead of going to The Scorch because Janson tells them to do so) in the movie, which changes everything. This change keeps the burning spirit to reach freedom there. I like this a lot.

Top: Minho (Kihong Lee), Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) & Newt (Thomas Sangster)
Bottom: Harriet (Nathalie Emmanuel), Teresa (Kaya Scodelario) & Brenda (Rosa Salazar)

Despite the major change that I mentioned above, there are sooo many differences between the book and the movie. Some fans might not like it, but I don't mind. To be honest, I like the story of the movie more haha. The action sequences are just as tense as the ones in the first movie. I think the Cranks chase scenes are the best ones; those scenes made me hold my breath for a long time! I love the settings too; they are grander than the ones in The Maze Runner. I miss The Glade, though. I just love the concept of The Glade haha. And I love the cast too, of course! Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scoelario, Thomas Sangster, Kihong Lee, Jacob Lofland, Rosa Salazar, Nathalie Emmanuel etc give such enjoyable performances.

Rating : 3,5/5

THE MARTIAN

The next movie is the one that I saw yesterday: The Martian. The movie is about a botanist named Mark Watney (Matt Damon) who is left alone in Mars because his crew thinks he is killed when an unexpected storm hits them during their expedition in the red planet. This movie is directed by Ridley Scott and full of great actors such as Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels etc.

The Martian is full of great actors, but Matt Damon is definitely the shining star in the movie

When I first read the synopsis of the film, I thought The Martian was going to be very emotional and full of dramatic death scenes like other astronaut movies, such as Interstellar and Armageddon. But it turns out that it is not like that at all. The Martian is surprisingly funny and enjoyable. Matt Damon's Watney is completely alone in Mars and has no one to talk to except his webcam, but he delivers so many hilarious monologues. I laughed a lot when I saw the movie yesterday.

Mark Watney is definitely the most interesting character in The Martian. I expected him to weep and get totally depressed in that planet because, dude, he is left alone in Mars! But he does not. Even when he first realizes that he is left alone in the red planet, he doesn't get panicked. Instead, he keeps thinking, uses his knowledge and solves the problems that come to him. I think this is a great approach and it makes The Martian different from other astronaut films. This also shows to us that the ones that matter are not the problems, but the way we choose to see and deal with them. Matt Damon definitely stands out in this movie. I love Jessica Chastain's and Kate Mara's characters too, though. Strong, brave and smart female characters always make me proud haha.

Rating : 4/5

Little Stories about Detectives, Robots and Loss

Getting a job is so hard, isn't it?

Since I quit my old job, I have been job hunting like crazy. I have done many interviews, tests, teaching demos, etc. Sometimes this makes me feel exhausted, frustrated, desperate. I'm not giving up, though. But sometimes I just need to escape from all the job hunting madness. And my way of escaping is, you know, getting lost in the stories of films and books haha.

I ordered a book entitled In the Woods by Tana French earlier this week. It's about a detective who has to investigate a murder case that is similar to his traumatic experience in the past. Yup, I'm in the mood for crime fiction again haha. People say that this book is recommended for anyone who likes Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl. Well, you know how I feel about that book (read my thoughts on Gone Girl here), so I decided to order In the Woods. The book is expected to arrive next week and I'm so excited to read it.

A few days before I ordered the book, I saw a movie called The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them. It's a drama about Connor (James McAvoy) and Eleanor (Jessica Chastain), who are perfect as a couple. However, a tragic loss that they experience changes everything. There are moments in this movie where I don't understand what is actually going on. But I think this is good because, I think, that's what would happen when you experience something traumatic like that. You feel confused, lost. Everything seems chaotic and messy. Those feelings are portrayed by Jessica Chastain in a beautifully heartbreaking way. I love James's performance too but I think he needs more screen time haha. My favorite scene involves these two actors and occurs near the end of the movie. The two talk about their memories about the person they've lost and their grief. It's just really sad and heartbreaking. Oh yeah, the amazing Viola Davis is in this movie too. She plays a supporting character here, but you just can't ignore her because she's just so cool.

Another movie that I saw recently is Ex Machina. This film is written and directed by Alex Garland, the one who wrote the scripts of Never Let Me Go and 28 Days Later. It is about a female AI (Artificial Intelligence) named Ava (Alicia Vikander) whose human characteristics are tested by her creator, Nathan (Oscar Isaac), using his employee, Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson). The movie is so tense! And quite scary too, I think. The music and the look of the movie play a huge part in making it tense. There is one piece of the music that sounds like the beat of a heart, which makes me anxious whenever it is played. Nathan's modern, sophisticated house and the huge trees that surround it somehow create coldness that makes me quiver.

There are only four actors in this movie: the three actors mentioned above and Sonoya Mizuno as Nathan's assistant, Kyoko. They all are fantastic in their roles. Alicia Vikander's Ava looks so innocent and sweet, which lets me understand why Caleb is so taken with her. But sometimes you can see something different when she demands answers from Caleb; something that makes me hold my breath. Oh, what she does at the end leaves me completely breathless because it's terrible but she still looks innocent. Domhnall Gleeson plays the naive Caleb successfully and makes me feel related to him. I still can't stop thinking about what happens to him at the end. Oscar Isaac plays his strange character so well. His performance truly deceives me and makes the revelation at the end so shocking. And that Kyoko girl! She doesn't even talk but she freaks me out whenever she appears, especially when she reveals her true self to Caleb in Nathan's room.

Despite all the greatness that I've mentioned, I think the most memorable part of the movie is the ending. It is just so shocking and eerie and thought-provoking. Ugh it's so hard to talk about it without giving spoilers haha. The ending gets me thinking, who is the villain in the story, actually? Do Ava's actions at the end make her the villain? Is it wrong for her to want to live freely? Should people keep trying to build AIs? Should we let the AIs look back on us the same way we look at fossils, like Nathan says? Can we, humans with the instinct for survival, let that happen? Are we afraid of AIs?

So that's all from me today. Wait for my review of In the Woods!

The Day I Went to See Avengers: Age of Ultron

I went to see Avengers: Age of Ultron with my sisters last weekend and we had so much fun. There was an Avengers exhibition at the mall where we could see the superheroes' properties, meet some models who wore the superhero costumes, buy Avengers merchandise and play some games. We took a lot of pictures with the properties. I also met Darth Vader that day! A newly opened store was having a promotional event which is related to Star Wars so they put models in some Star Wars costumes! It was a great day for a fangirl like me haha.

Anyways, I saw the hotly anticipated movie, Avengers: Age of Ultron that day. And here are my thoughts about it.

The movie meets every expectation that I had before I saw it. As expected, there is nothing special about the story. As expected, I still find it difficult to relate to the superhero characters. I don't know why but I always have this problem with the superhero films that are produced by Marvel Studios. I can perfectly relate to other Marvel characters whose movies are produced by other studios, like the mutants from X-Men and Spiderman, but not with these guys from Marvel Studios. 

As expected, my favorite thing from the movie is the Maximoff twins, played by Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. I like how they portray the brother-sister relationship of the twins in this film, especially how they protect each other. It's too bad that [SPOILER ALERT] one of them doesn't make it out alive. It's hard to imagine one of them without the other. The action sequences and the humor in this movie are really entertaining too. My favorite action/comedy scene is when Hulk's mind gets manipulated by Scarlet Witch. He turns into his angry mode and forces Iron Man to fight him. It's scary to see how destructive Hulk can be when he is manipulated but the way Iron Man deals with him is just hilarious. I am also happy to know more about Hawkeye's personal life and kind of fascinated by The Vision. The Vision is just so... graceful haha.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen as the Maximoff twins

So, I think Avengers: Age of Ultron is not a brilliant movie, it is really fun and entertaining. Go see it and have a good time!

And here are some of the pictures that we took at the mall haha. The mall is Gandaria City. I think the Avengers exhibition is still on until tomorrow but I don't know about the Star Wars cosplay. 

Cars, Explosions, Fights and Tears in Furious 7

I saw many interesting things last week. I saw Fifty Shades of Grey, but I don't like it so I won't review it because I don't like shaming movies on the internet. I also started watching Sherlock, which is really fun to watch. Last week's episode of The Flash with Mark Hamill aka Luke Skywalker as the guest star also amazed me. But the most memorable one is the movie that I saw on Sunday: Furious 7.

Actually, I'm not a fan of the Fast & Furious franchise. Well, I don't hate it but I'm not a diehard fan. But I was really excited to see this movie because I wanted to honor Paul Walker, one of the cast members who passed away in 2013, before the production of the movie finished. They pushed back the release date of the movie and altered the script in order to honor the actor, which makes the movie a little more emotional than the previous ones.

The movie is super loud. There are a lot of explosions in this one; I think it has more explosions than dialogues. The fight scenes are also dominating. The craziest fight scene for me is the one at the beginning, which involves Hobbs (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) and Shaw (Jason Statham). The sound of the punches is just crazy; it sounds really painful. Just hearing it makes me feel sore. Well, The Rock used to be a wrestler, right? No wonder. And the car scenes! The cars are thrown from a flying plane, from a skyscraper to another one, from a cliff... I shook my head a lot during those scenes haha. The action sequences are a little too crazy and hard to believe but I have to admit that they are pretty cool.

Despite the full-on action, the chemistry among the cast members also dominates the movie. I think this chemistry is the thing that makes this movie more special compared to other car movies, which usually lack of good chemistry and only focus on the action. These actors look like, just like Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) says, a big family. I could see it even when they are doing the action sequences. I like this because it makes me, as a part of the audience, feel related to the characters and adds humanity to the movie.

Lastly, I really like what they do with Paul Walker's character, Brian. I think it's smart to make his character "go to a different direction". It's a beautiful way to say goodbye to his character, and to the actor as well. When I think of Paul Walker, I will smile because I will always remember that he smiles during his final scene in this movie. 

Favorite quote: "No matter where you are in this world, whether it's a quarter mile away, or half way across the world, you'll always be with me, and you'll always be my brother." -Dom Toretto about Brian O'Conner.

Rating : 4/5

Thoughts on Me Before You and Cinderella

After a few weeks, I finally finished reading Me Before You by Jojo Moyes earlier this week and, man, the ending left me speechless. The book is about a very ordinary woman named Louisa who has to work as a carer for a disabled man named Will. The two find an unexpected connection as Louisa learns that Will doesn't want to continue living because he just can't bear living with his illness. This story makes me question a lot of things. Is it acceptable if we want to end our lives because it is so unbearable? What do we do if someone we love wants to die like Will? Should we let them make their own choice and have what they want? Or should we try as hard as we can to keep them alive even though they don't want to live anymore? Which one is the right thing to do? To be honest, I still don't know the answers and can't stop thinking about this. What a thought-provoking story.

I also saw Cinderella in IMAX this week! One of my most anticipated movies of the year! As expected, the movie is soooo lovely!

The way Cinderella and her prince look at each other is just........

My favorite thing about this live-action version of the classic fairy tale is the relationship between Cinderella (Lily James) and the prince (Richard Madden and his beautiful blue eyes haha). I love that they don't meet for the first time at the ball and just fall in love like in the animated version. Instead, they meet before the ball and leave a great impression for each other, which then grows into love as they know more about each other. It seems more realistic. I also like the fact that Ella is fine with just remembering the prince as a beautiful memory. She loves the prince but she doesn't have to have him; just loving him is enough. I think it's very kind and selfless. And the chemistry between Lily and Richard is just really good. The way they look at each other makes me want to smile, squeal and swoon hahaha. There's also a little story about the prince and his father in this movie, which is not explored in the original animated movie. I love the father-son relationship; it's just so sweet.

The costumes are fantastic. I especially love Cinderella's blue dress. It's HUGE and so dreamy. I thought it was a CGI dress but I heard it's real. The dress looks so wonderful when Cinderella dances with the prince at the ball. Oh yeah, the dance scene done by Lily and Richard is one of my favorite scenes in the movie. They say the two actors had to prepare for about 2 months for that scene. Well, it's definitely worth it.

Quick Reviews of The Last Five Years & Mockingjay

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR TO THOSE WHO CELEBRATE!

But I myself don't celebrate Chinese New Year and only had one day-off in the middle of the week, so I had nothing to do yesterday. I didn't want to get bored to death, so I decided to start reading the e-book that my friend gave me (Me Before You by Jojo Moyes) and watch movies (The Last Five Years and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1). It will take time for me to finish the book and write a review of it, but I've finished watching the movies. So here are my thoughts about them.

THE LAST FIVE YEARS

This movie is included in my anticipated movies list for 2015 (See it here). I was very, very excited to see this movie, but after finally seeing it, I must admit that it is not as good as I expected. The story is actually very interesting. I think it's an honest portrayal of a failed relationship because it shows how the failure is not anyone's fault. It shows that, like I once said in one of my posts, people have different paths. People might cross paths but there will always be one point where they have to go to different directions. The separation might be painful but it's no one's fault; it's just how it is. I also like the concept of the storytelling (The female character, Cathy, tells it from her point of view backwards while the male character, Jamie, shows us the way he sees it chronologically). I think it's unique. And the two main actors, Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan, are awesome. I really love their chemistry and their singing voices! 

But I find the movie as a whole quite... strange. Hmm it's hard to explain why I think it's strange. For people who are not familiar with the musical (This movie is based on a musical where all the dialogues are sung, like Les Miserables) and the way the story is told, I think this movie would be very confusing. There is no clear explanation or clue about how the story is told (the backwards and forwards thing) and about what Cathy and Jamie are actually doing. The two characters just take turns in singing all the time. It's more like a compilation of their music videos than a movie, actually. Maybe this movie would be better if they make some adjustments with the storytelling, so that it would be easier for audience to follow the plot.

Rating : 3/5

THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1

I know it's a bit late, but I just saw this movie yesterday. When the movie came out in cinemas last year, many people said that this movie disappointed them. Well, I still like Catching Fire more than this one, but I don't think this movie is disappointing at all. It's just a little different from the previous films, and from people's expectations. Unlike the previous two films, this one is not an action-packed movie. It shows more of the characters' emotions, especially Katniss's.

I love how they show more of Katniss's emotions here. In this movie, and in the previous ones too, she keeps saying that she doesn't want to be involved in the war against President Snow and the Capitol; that all she wants is to keep the ones that she loves safe. I used to think it was selfish. But then I realized how sickening it must be for a teenage girl like her, to get dragged into a war where there is nothing but pain and violence. It's just too... crazy. Wanting to run away from that kind of thing is something very... human, I think. And then, as the movie goes on, she learns that she also cares about other people. She can't stand seeing other people get hurt by the Capitol, even though she doesn't know those people. Katniss grows in this movie, and I can relate to that because I've been there. Well, not there in the middle of a war, but there where you grow up and realize that you want to make yourself useful for other people. Again, this reminds me that I'm not a teenager anymore haha.

Since I love getting my feelings twisted (hahaha), I also "enjoy" Josh Hutcherson's and Sam Claflin's heartbreaking performances as Peeta and Finnick. That scene where Peeta sees a footage of Katniss during an interview and talks directly to her really breaks my heart. And the heroic, charming Finnick is replaced by the Finnick who looks miserable and lost here. I have a crush on him and it's just so heartbreaking to see him miserable hahahaha.

Rating : 4/5

Movie Review : Begin Again

During the announcement of this year's Oscars nominees, a song called Lost Stars was mentioned as a nominee for the best original song category. The song is taken from the movie entitled Begin Again, starring Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Adam Levine, Hailee Steinfeld, James Corden, etc. I had known about this movie for a while when I heard about the nomination, but I hadn't seen it and knew nothing about the song. After the announcement, I listened to the song and immediately fell in love with it. And then I decided to see the movie, and then I fell in love with it too.

So Begin Again  is about two lonely people, Gretta (Knightley) and Dan (Ruffalo). Gretta is a talented singer-songwriter who gets betrayed by her rock star boyfriend Dave (Levine) while Dan is a music producer who gets fired by his business partner. Dan thinks Gretta is the great discovery that can help him get his job back. Then, they start working on Gretta's demo with their friends, but the process turns out to be more than just a recording process: it makes the two realize what they really want in this life, what they want to do with their music, and so much more.

This movie made me cry A LOT. This is not even a sad movie but I did cry so much. It is just so natural and sweet and cute; it just touches my heart. The story is about music and, to be honest, I'm not really a "music" person. But this story makes me see music through the eyes of the people who love it so deeply. I can see how music magically fixes a broken family, how it makes a broken teenage girl smile again, how it can make you understand things that cannot be spoken, how it contains all the feelings inside its writer's heart. It's just beautiful.

It is so easy for me to relate to Gretta. She is lonely and loves someone, who wastes her love, like a fool. She turns her feelings into songs and doesn't care about what people think about her songs because they are hers, not theirs. She gets tempted by that foolish love when her ex boyfriend wants her back but then she realizes that it's not what she wants. My favorite Gretta scene is near the end of the movie, where Dave sings their song, Lost Stars, and Gretta watches him with a smile. The happiness in her face slowly fades and then she runs away. Her heart is broken. I'm not sure about this because it's never explicitly explained in the movie, but I think, at that moment, she realizes that she doesn't want to be with Dave anymore. I think she realizes that things can never go back to they way they used to be. I could really feel her heartbreak in that scene. And then cried like a baby haha.

Keira Knightley plays Gretta very naturally and beautifully in this movie, but James Corden, who plays Steve, is definitely the scene-stealer. I really love his scenes with Keira. They're so natural and don't look like they're scripted. Their scenes together look like a video of two real, drunk friends chatting. And then there's Hailee Steinfeld, who plays Dan's daughter, Violet. Her character always tries to look tough and careless but she is actually really sweet at heart. I just can't stand her cuteness.

Another thing that I adore from this movie is, of course, Lost Stars, the song. I really love the Adam Levine version (that's the one in the scene that made me cry) but Keira's version is also nice and so natural. Ehm how many times have I said the word "natural"? Well the movie IS really natural.

So I think Begin Again deserves more recognition and everyone should see it. The movie is so beautiful. It is the kind of movie that would make you smile and cry at the same time; the kind that brings warmth to your heart.

Rating : 4/5

Movie Review : The Imitation Game

I saw The Imitation Game! It is, similar The Theory of Everything, a biopic of a genius British man with a lovable British actor playing the lead role that gets nominated in all the awards this year. If Theory has Stephen Hawking, this one has Alan Turing, a British mathematician who is known as the father of computer science. The movie focuses on Turing's contribution in the British government's secret project during World War II. Turing and a group of code breakers must decode messages that are sent by the Germans which contain the information about their upcoming attacks to England. Turing's work helps save so many people and shorten the war, but no one knows about his heroic act because the government decides to keep it a secret. Ironically, Turing gets recognized and punished by the government for being gay, which is illegal at that time.

The movie's most memorable quote

First of all, I do NOT understand anything about the encryption and the computer science things that they talk about in this movie (hahahaha). So please don't expect me to talk about it.

The most fascinating thing about this movie for me is the main character, Alan Turing, and the way he is portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch. He is, like, the most human character I've ever seen in a movie. He has all the sides in human personality. He is smart, but very arrogant. He can be the most irritating person in the world, but he can be ridiculously funny as well. Sometimes he appears to be heartless, but at other times he shows that he has the capability to care so much about something, or someone. He achieves something that no one can even imagine, but he experiences painful loss too. Sometimes he looks like a robot that has no feelings, but at one moment we get to see him crying his heart out like... a human. There is one scene where Turing asks, "What am I? Am I a machine? Am I a person?". I find the questions very heartbreaking because, like I've stated, he is the most human character I've ever seen. The screenwriter writes the character very well, and Mr Cumberbatch plays it beautifully. I'm amazed.

Besides the insanely famous and talented Benedict Cumberbatch, there is a group of other actors who are really fun to watch in this movie. There is the beautiful Keira Knightley as Joan Clarke, the only woman in Turing's team. The character is, like, the coolest woman. She's intelligent, very determined, sensitive, kind and, of course, breathtakingly beautiful (Keira always looks beautiful in 1940s make up and costume, doesn't she?). And then there is Matthew Goode as Hugh Alexander, who is very charming and smart (I love guys who is smart and charming haha). I enjoy watching Allen Leech as John too. There is a shocking thing about John that is revealed near the end of the movie and it really shocks me because he is always very likable throughout the movie.

I tend to forget mentioning this aspect in my reviews but I don't forget this time, the score of this movie is so beautiful! It is composed by the famous composer Alexandre Desplat, who also worked on my other favorite films such as Harry Potter and Benjamin Button. I also love the costumes and the sets of the movie. This movie is so good for your eyes to see.

Lastly, I think the story that this movie delivers is still relevant in our era. In this era, we can still see people get discriminated and even punished for being gay, for being fat, for having a skin color that is different from other people, for choosing a certain religion and for doing other little, personal things. We can still see how people's extraordinary talents and great achievements get completely ignored while the little, personal things about them get judged. This movie can make us think again about how we treat other people.

To conclude, The Imitation Game is remarkable. The message, the performances, the story and the characters are crafted so beautifully and carefully, which creates something very powerful.

Rating : 4/5

My 2015 Movie List

I know it's a bit late but HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Besides making a list of new year resolutions, making a list of anticipated movies is also a must for me at the beginning of every year. Making that list just makes me so excited to start the new year, and excitement is a good thing to start a new year with, right? So here are the 2015 movies that I can't wait to see.

15. FIFTY SHADES OF GREY
Release Date : February 13 2015 (USA)
Director : Sam Taylor-Wood
Cast : Jamie Dornan, Dakota Johnson, etc.
Synopsis : A literature student (Johnson) has her life twisted as she begins having a steamy love affair with a charming businessman, Christian Grey (Dornan).
Why I want to see it : Well, I just want to know what makes the story (which is based on a book series that beats Harry Potter as the best-selling book series of all time) so phenomenal despite the negative reviews that it receives.

14. SPECTRE
Release Date : November 6 2015 (USA)
Director : Sam Mendes
Cast : Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Monica Belluci, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, etc.
Synopsis : James Bond (Craig) must work to reveal the truth behind a cryptic message.
Why I want to see it : I've never actually seen a Bond movie until I saw Skyfall, which I think is great. Knowing that the director and the main cast of Skyfall are returning for this one makes me optimistic about this movie.

13. IN THE HEART OF THE SEA
Release Date : March 13 2015
Director : Ron Howard
Cast : Chris Hemsworth, Ben Whishaw, Cillian Murphy, etc.
Synopsis : A group of whalers encounters a giant whale (it's a whale and it's giant; it must be SO big...), gets attacked by it and struggles to stay alive in the open sea.
Why I want to see it : When I spotted the phrase "a giant whale", I thought this was a fantasy movie. But, nope, it's based on a true story that inspires the novel Moby Dick. That makes me want to know the story. The trailer looks good too.

12. CRIMSON PEAK

Release Date : October 16 2015 (USA)

Director : Guillermo del Toro

Cast : Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Charlie Hunnam, etc.

Synopsis : A young author (Wasikowska) is lured by a charming man (Hiddleston) and is brought to his old house. There, she finds some unexpected things, such as a jealous sister (Chastain) and skeletons in the closet.

Why I want to see it : Actually, I'm not a fan of horror movies (or Tom Hiddleston), but this one is directed by Guillermo del Toro, a director who is known for visually stunning films that have unique stories. After seeing the spooky images from this movie, I imagine it would be "a nightmare dressed like a daydream" (Why am I using Taylor Swift's song lyric? Hahaha). Creepy, but beautiful.

11. TOMORROWLAND

Release Date : May 22 2015 (USA)

Director : Brad Bird

Cast : George Clooney, Britt Robertson, etc.

Synopsis : A genius man (Clooney) and a teenage girl (Robertson) team up to unveil the secrets of a mysterious place caught between time and space.

Why I want to see it : I first found out about this movie from its teaser trailer. The trailer doesn't show much but is very, very intriguing. The premise reminds me of Interstellar a bit (especially the ending part), but I bet this one will be more family-friendly because it's a Disney movie.

10. EX MACHINA

Release Date : April 10 2015 (USA)

Director : Alex Garland

Cast : Oscar Isaac, Domhnal Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, etc.

Synopsis : A computer coder (Gleeson) wins a chance to meet the CEO of his company (Isaac) only to find out that he is being used in an experiment that involves a female A.I. (Vikander).

Why I want to see it : The trailer is very intriguing. It's a bit similar to Spike Jonze's Her, I think, but the sci-fi elements seem to be more dominant here.

9. THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON
Release Date : May 1 2015 (USA)
Director : Joss Whedon
Cast : Robert Downey Jr., James Spader, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, etc.
Synopsis : The superhero gang has to team up once again to face a new enemy named Ultron (Spader) and meets two newcomers, Quicksilver (Taylor-Johnson) and Scarlet Witch (Olsen).
Why I want to see it : To be honest, I just want to see Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen. Their characters seem to have big and mysterious roles in the movie, and they are great young actors. It's always nice to see talented young actors take roles in blockbuster movies and bring depth and humanity into the characters.

8. CINDERELLA

Release Date : March 13 2015 (USA)

Director : Kenneth Branagh

Cast : Lily James, Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter, Richard Madden, etc.

Synopsis : Well, you know how the story goes...

Why I want to see it : The trailer is very beautiful. I love seeing movies that are visually beautiful. And the director, Kenneth Branagh (aka Professor Lockhart from Harry Potter hahaha), states that his Cinderella won't be a woman whose happiness is determined by whether she finds a man or not. I really love this idea as well.

7. THE LAST FIVE YEARS

Release Date : February 13 2015 (USA)

Director : Richard LaGravenese

Cast : Anna Kendrick, Jeremy Jordan, etc.

Synopsis : A love story of an actress (Kendrick) and a novelist (Jordan) which is told back and forth, from two perspectives, through songs, and ends with failure.

Why I want to see it : It's a musical and I love musicals! I mean, don't you wish you could sing your heart out like those people in musicals? Hahaha. I really like the premise as well; I've never seen a musical with this kind of story. Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan look (and sound) awesome too.

6. SILENCE

Release Date : TBA

Director : Martin Scorsese

Cast : Liam Neeson, Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, etc

Synopsis : Two Jesuit priests travel to Japan to find their mentor and spread the teachings of Christianity, but have to face violence as they carry out their mission.

Why I want to see it : It's directed by Martin Scorsese, whose movies are mostly Oscar-worthy, and based on a critically acclaimed novel. From the synopsis, it seems like the story is the kind that has an important message. And, yeah, Mr Andrew Garfield and his beard are in it. It's been a long time since I saw Andrew in a non-Spiderman movie like this.

5. JURASSIC WORLD

Release Date : June 12 2015 (USA)

Director : Colin Trevorrow

Cast : Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, etc.

Synopsis : A genetically-modified hybrid dinosaur is created for the legendary theme park to attract more visitors, but the project does not go well.

Why I want to see it : I saw one of the previous Jurassic movies when I was a kid and, man, those dinosaurs that eat humans gave me nightmares. The trailer of this new installment looks good, even though the story sounds mediocre. I imagine it would be like the latest version of Godzilla, which doesn't have an innovative story but depicts the dreadful atmosphere of being terrorized by giant monsters very well.

4. MAZE RUNNER: THE SCORCH TRIALS
Release Date : September 18 2015 (USA)
Director : Wes Ball
Cast : Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Ki Hong Lee, Thomas Sangster, Rosa Salazar, etc.
Synopsis : Thomas (O'Brien) and his friends must face another phase of the mysterious trials run by an organization, which is also mysterious, called The Scorch Trials.
Why I want to see it : I really love the first book and movie of the saga, The Maze Runner. Even though I didn't enjoy the second book as much as I enjoyed the first one, knowing that Wes Ball and the whole cast are returning for the movie adaptation makes me optimistic about it. The Maze Runner movie is not identical with the book but the changes make me love the story even more. I hope they can do that again with this one.

3. JUPITER ASCENDING
Release Date : February 6 2015 (USA)
Director : Andy and Lana Wachowski
Cast : Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, Eddie Redmayne, Douglas Booth, etc.
Synopsis : Ehm the story is so complicated. I hope my explanation is correct. The Earth turns out to be a planet seeded by a royal alien family to be harvested as soon as the people in it (aka us) reach the Darwinian state of perfection. And then there is Jupiter (Kunis), an ordinary woman from Earth who is believed to be the reincarnartion of some kind of queen in the royal family, which threatens the position of Balem (Redmayne), the eldest child in the royal family, and makes him want her dead.

Why I want to see it : The story is an original one, which is so rare these days, and it is written by the Wachowskis, the creators of The Matrix. They successfully mix science-fiction and philosophy in The Matrix so I'm curious about what they have in Jupiter Ascending. What I really want to know is why the main character who comes from Earth is named after another planet (Jupiter). There has to be something about it hahaha. And, yes, Eddie Redmayne plays the villain here.

2. THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 2
Release Date : November 20 2015 (USA)
Director : Francis Lawrence
Cast : Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Sam Claflin, etc.
Synopsis: This final installment in The Hunger Games saga is the continuation of Mockingjay Part 1 where Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) leads the revolution against the Capitol.
Why I want to see it : I want to know how it ends. I haven't read the book but I read somewhere that the ending is not like how non-readers expect, which makes me curious. Well, I need to watch Part 1 first (I missed the movie because I was badly ill when it was released *sigh*).

1. STAR WARS EPISODE VII: THE FORCE AWAKENS
Release Date : December 18 2015 (USA)
Director : J.J. Abrams
Cast : Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, Lupita Nyong'o, Oscar Isaac, etc.
Synopsis : Err I don't know, they keep it a secret.
Why I want to see it : It's Star Wars everybody! STAR WARS! It is one of my favorite sagas ever. I have no idea how the story would be like because the Darth Vader story, which connects all the previous episodes, has ended. But it's directed by J.J. Abrams and I believe he wouldn't disappoint us. I love what he did with Star Trek and I believe he could resurrect the legendary Star Wars saga in an awesome way. Here's the the first trailer of The Force Awakens, which made me scream and cry hahaha.

Hope these exciting movies can bring some excitement into the new year!