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So last night I went to go see Ender's Game. While I thoroughly enjoyed the film, it's from a standpoint of having no knowledge of the book, or books, it was based on - so I cannot testify to how good the adaptation was. I can however say this. There was a person whom my suite mate and I came across on the walk back that said they did a terrible job condensing the book. While a person on my facebook page, claims they did a fantastic job condensing the book. The former claimed the book to be his "all time favorite," while the latter admits to disliking the author. I would take the first persons qualms with the movie as personal bias, when the term "all time favorite" is used, you step into something with pre-concieved notions of how good something is going to be, and when you don't get what you expected you come out disliking, or hating even, the movie. It's why I don't walk into movies expecting a "proper" adaptation of my favorite books and story-lines. I actually didn't hate this "piece of crap."

I did however hate this literal piece of crap.

I do mean literal, in a figurative sort of way. You may see a movie poster, and there may actually be one there, but all I see is a giant steaming pile of shit. Let's consult Dr. Ian Malcolm.

So back to that Ender's Game movie. I'll admit that the movie had some pacing issues, at least to me, my suite mate didn't catch it. But let's be honest here, he isn't quite the cinephile I am. The plot seemed to advance forward too quickly for me to buy into it, it didn't seem like time was passing all that much, despite the fact that time may have been moving forward a great deal. Being that the movie was set in space, on a space station while all of the characters stay the same age, so it isn't like years, maybe months. I guess I just don't buy that a kid, let alone, anyone is able to rise through military ranks as fast as Ender did, I didn't understand the universe, nor the necessity to do so, especially considering that the enemy posed no immediate threat. There was no reason for Ender to rise through the ranks so quickly

I'm writing this while watching The To Do List. I am tempted to stop writing, so I can focus on the movie, I just started watching it, I love Aubrey Plaza, and it takes place in the summer of '93 when I was 1. The next words I write will be written ninety minutes later.

So, it actually took like three hours. That's the only downside to streaming movies, the loading speed and whether or not you'll have to restart the video is totally random and will occasionally lead to a 103 minute movie taking three to four hours to watch. So I'm watching RollPlay now, I'm like two weeks behind still so that's six grueling hours I have to get through at some point. Anyways. Ender's Game. 

Pacing issues aside, the movie was great. Don't misunderstand me I, in no way, hated the film. I just didn't buy it's seemingly short timeline. There was this whole countdown thing that happened that said like twenty eight days, or something like that. So the whole movie seems to have been about a month or so in time. Maybe like six weeks actually, not the aforementioned months. Also, I wanted more Ben Kingsley, his character was important in the movie universe's lore, yet he has maybe twenty minutes of screen time, if that. Let alone he had the best character, next to Asa Butterfield's (great name) performance as Ender.

Asa is one of my favorite young actors, he was Hugo in Hugo, and Bruno in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. The former is such a heart-warmingly great film, the latter such a dark and depressing film. I can't help but admire his talent, he's only fifteen (April 1, 1997). To be honest, the cast from top to bottom was great, in the "larger" roles. "Larger" being in quotes because not many characters had more than twenty lines. Hell, I don't even think Ben Kingsley had more than twenty lines. I'm not talking a Ryan Gosling in Drive sort of thing where not having that many lines is a good thing. I'm talking the film had so many characters and such a short screen time that some of the characters had like ten lines a pop, when they should have had more. I'm just nitpicking now, because this really isn't an issue.

Hailee Steinfeld as always is amazing, despite her not having that big of a role, it actually felt reduced, I can't help but admire what she is able to do in such a "minor" role. I'm also glad that they left out the typical "first kiss" scene, despite both actors being fifteen, the characters didn't seem to be at that point yet, and a kiss would have felt way too forced with the given narrative of the film. Hell, I'm pretty sure Ender and Petra are only supposed to be twelve though. Something I just realized about the Romeo and Juliet remake, the new one with miss Steinfeld, is the age difference between her and Douglas Booth who play's Romeo.

Hailee Steinfeld and Douglas Booth Romeo and Juliet (2013)

He was born in 1992, same year as me. He's at least 21, possibly even 22 - IMDB only gives the year. She's fifteen. That's a six to seven year difference. And given the fact that the film was likely shot last year, she was more than likely 14 at the time, and he 20 or 21. It's just off-putting. I didn't even realize she was that young until just now. Granted, in the play Juliet is only 13, and Romeo isn't given an age, I've always assumed him to be older - 17 or 18, but maybe that's just me, I've seen some people even say early twenties.

Time period wise, it makes sense, but make some liberties with your adaptations. That's the one thing Romeo + Juliet (1996) did right in the casting. they cast actors not necessarily close to the same age, but look the same age - Leonardo DiCaprio (1974), and Claire Danes (1979). Making them 22/23 and 16/17 respectively. It's a bit less of an age gap. But it's not so overt.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes Romeo + Juliet (1996)

I feel like I've turned into an old man. All crotchety about girls being too young for this shit. Look, I don't mind it, I actually liked the remake more than Romeo + Juliet. Claire Dane's is still untouchable, and the only real reason I liked the remake more was Steinfeld and Damien Lewis, not to mention the modern retelling of the 1996 version. Modernizing Shakespeare does not work in the hands of anyone other than Joss Whedon (see Much Ado About Nothing (2013)).

The best Romeo and Juliet, aside from the play (which isn't even that good - yeah, I said it), is still the 1968 version.

Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey Romeo and Juliet (1968)

One thing I will say though, is that Halie Steinfelf and Douglas Booth look surprisingly similar to the two in the '68 adaptation of the film. As a lover of all things Shakespeare, the way the '68 adaptation treated the source material was my preferred method of adaptation, especially for this particular play. However as Whedon has shown us, it is possible to modernize while treating the source material with the respect it deserves. Though my hatred of Romeo + Juliet, may have just been due to my disliking of the play itself, I still consider it one of Shakespeare's weaker works, and I don't understand why it is the one that has gotten seven adaptations, and according to IMDB an eight "video" starring Kel Mitchell apparently, and an upcoming ninth adaptation in 2014, Romeo and Juliet in Harlem. 

This upcoming adaptation apparently modernizes it, and stays true to the language of the play. I wonder if they can stay true to that. The writer, who is also the director Aleta Chappelle, is also retelling Macbeth, in the same year. That however, is entitled Macbett. Macbett, like Romeo and Juliet in Harlem, will star a seemingly entire African American cast, in the traditional "white" roles. Needless, to say, I'm interested in what she is able to do, now I just have to play they waiting game.

Okay, so it's like 11 PM, I just got my Calzone - Three Little Pigs (ham, bacon, and hot dog with american cheese and side of BBQ sauce - it's delicious). So I'm going to eat and wait for Saturday Night Live to start in about twenty minutes. Here, have a video.

A litte while ago, I posted ASDF movie 1-6, ASDF movie 7 was just recently uploaded, enjoy.