Book Review: Paper Towns by John Green

Title: Paper Towns 

Author: John Green 

Publisher: Speak, Penguin Publications 

Language: English 

Ratings: 8/10 

Summary:

Quentin Jacobson has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life - dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows. After the all-nighter ends, and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues - and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew. 

Review:

Honestly this is a book about lost and quest, finding answers from the littlest clues. I find this book entertaining and playful, but at the same time so heavy and melodramatic. Margo Roth Spiegelman, the girl who Quentin thought he knew, even if he was watching her from afar turned into a mystery as if nobody knew her at all. We have always thought somebody is perfect, just by the farthest point but fail to see them as a person, with advantages and flaws. Even of how beautiful and brilliant they are, there will be something about them they never did know. 

Quentin might thought that Margo would have wanted him to find her, but alas found to be the exact opposite because reality isn't the same with the dreams that we draw out. I think John Green has made out a magnificent book, just like the other two books I have read; it seemed like everything is well-plotted and written, something some writers would have been lacked off to entertain the readers. 

I liked the book because of the well-constructed characters because some books would have depicted the characters as a perfect specimen, with perfect friends. But John Green wrote vulnerability, flaws that made the characters so alive and based on reality. Quentin, even has the best parents and good grades, he still shown his obsession with Margo was a flaw, flaw that has been sucking his whole life. Margo, who appeared to be beautifully perfect, was lonely and silent inside. Spends her whole life writing, planning to run away from her reality, her uptight parents and popular-but-loser friends and a cheating boyfriend. 

 This book is well constructed, a light read that shows the reality of this world; not a book with only unicorn and rainbows. This book is moving, and it should be enjoyed by people in any age. 

Film Review: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Title: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Running time: 2hr 41 m

Language: English

Genre: Action & Adventure, Science Fiction, Fantasy

Directed by: Peter Jackson

Distributed by: Warner Brothers

Ratings: 7/10

Summary:

The second in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug continues the adventure of the title character Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) as he journeys with the Wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellan) and thirteen Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) on an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor.

Review:

As it as from the first from the trilogy, The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug was slightly better though. There were two similarities though, the length of the movie and also the characters. I haven't watched Lord of the Rings because I thought it was stupid but frankly, I find the Hobbit quite enjoyable with amazing graphic and stunts. This time it is included with an amazing story line that would have been worth your money.

Enriched with perfectly portrayed characters, The Hobbit is definitely something but ends with such suspense that you would be looking for the prequel. What I would like to say is congratulations for the director, Peter Jackson that has successfully made a five star quality movie. 

Film Review: Homefront (2013)

Title: Homefront

Language: English 

Genre: Mystery & Suspense, Drama, Action & Adventure

Running time: 1hr 40m

Directed by: Gary Fleder

Distributed by: Open Road Films

Ratings: 4.5/10

Summary:

HOMEFRONT is an action movie about a widowed ex-DEA agent who retires to a small town for the sake of his 10-year-old daughter. The only problem is he picked the wrong town.

Review:

I guess the only thing I liked about this movie is Jason Statham, because he is one sex god. 

But I could not say I like the movie as a whole. The story line was predictable, but it was staged in a way we can't even predict. James Franco was not even good in this one, somehow it lacked of a beautiful plot. I don't even understand why Winona Ryder, who has been gone for so long shows up. The starting line was okay I guess. 

The main was about an undercover DEA cop, that would be Jason Statham who hides his daughter in a new town filled with vengeful rednecks who's a little bit loony and smokes a lot of crack. A town that has a meth lab that is ran by Gator Bodine, and that would be James Franco. Filled with vulgar words and lewd comments, Homefront hits the home-run with protective and crack-smoking parents as a part of the show.

I don't know the reason for such a low rate is just that. It's entertaining, but only when there's a fight going on. Other than that, it is not really impressive. The plot itself is misplaced, sometimes a little bit lost in the middle. 

Good effort?

Book Review: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

Title: Norwegian Wood

Author: Haruki Murakami

Translator: Jay Rubin

Publisher: Vintage Books

Ratings: 9.5/10

Summary:

When he hears his favorite Beatles song, Toru Watanabe recalls his first love Naoko, the girl friend of his best friend Kizuki. Immediately he is transported almost twenty years to his student days in Tokyo, adrift in a world of uneasy friendships, casual sex, passion, loss and desire - to a time when an impetuous young woman called Midori marches into his life, and he has to choose between the future and past.

Review:

This book has taught me a number of things about life, including how to handle depression in your own way. It starts with the nineteen year old Watanabe, who is in love with Naoko, his best friend's girl. The book would tell you itself, on uneasy friendships, casual sex, passion, loss and desire. I could say that I fell in love with Watanabe whilst reading this book. It would be hard enough not to, honestly.

Haruki Murakami is totally one of the best living writers around. Beautiful story-line and explicitly written down to the ritz to the the rubble, I find myself falling in love with this book, quite hard to put down. I took my time reading it, because I never wanted it to end. But like all beautifully-written books, it must end. The ending was quite heartfelt, it made me lose my grip, and space out for a little bit.

Poetic, majestic and beautiful, Norwegian Wood is beautiful, even with such explicit detail about sex - it is a book to show how marvelous yet saddening youth can be. High ranks to this book, almost gave it a ten but I should be fair. I applaud the writer and it's mind, adapting through the life of a twenty year-old and depicting it in Toru Watanabe. Highest ranks goes to the writer. 

Film Review: Frozen

Title: Frozen

Genre: Cartoons & Animation, Action & Adventure

Running time: 1 hr 25 m

Language: English 

Distributed by: Walt Disney Pictures

Directed by: Chris Buck

Ratings: 9/10

Summary:

Featuring the voices of Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel, "Frozen" is the coolest comedy-adventure ever to hit the big screen. When a prophecy traps a kingdom in eternal winter, Anna, a fearless optimist, teams up with extreme mountain man Kristoff and his sidekick reindeer Sven on an epic journey to find Anna's sister Elsa, the Snow Queen, and put an end to her icy spell. Encountering mystical trolls, a funny snowman named Olaf, Everest-like extremes and magic at every turn, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom from destruction.

Review:

My likings for this movie is overwhelming, I liked everything about it. Usually, I don't really like all the sing-sing kind of songs, where they're constantly singing but this one really takes a hit. Beautifully written and an exciting plot, somehow not even predictable, I rate Disney's Frozen pretty high because it reached through and approached my liking, I would say that this really did get into my top in Disney's creation; and I am also not a really big fan of animated movies. 

Frozen was really beautifully animated, and I would like to see it again. Convulsed around the new queen, Elsa who has magical powers on turning everything into ice, but does not know how to control it - even after she hurts her sister, Anna, and finally locking herself up into a big castle, where there would not be anyone to harm. 

Frozen is also adventure packed, filled with excitement and every feature in this movie will not fail to excite you, and even draw tears into my eyes. I could say that Frozen has been such a turning point, drawing it to the top of my list by a Disney animation for a very long time, and could say one of the best top five that has ever hit screen. Safe to say, bravo!