Veronica Mars: A Good Film Adaptation Of A TV Show

Veronica Mars

I recently watched Veronica Mars on TV. Veronica Mars is a movie that was based on the short lived TV show of the same name. It stars Kristen Bell as Veronica Mars. Veronica Mars was an amateur detective who worked for her father’s detective agency as a teenager. She has since given up on being a detective and instead has gone to law school in the hopes of becoming a lawyer.

Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) and Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring) in Veronica Mars

However, when she sees on TV that her former boyfriend Logan (Jason Dohring) is accused of murder, she knows she has to help clear his name. Not long after that, Logan calls her for help. Veronica goes back to her hometown and reunites with her father and her friends.

Logan is accused of killing his girlfriend Carrie Bishop (Andrea Estella), also known as the pop star Bonnie DeVille. Carrie was one of Veronica and Logan’s high school classmates. While investigating Carrie’s death, Veronica realizes that Carrie’s murder is connected to Susan Knight’s death nine years previously. Susan (Christine Lakin) was Carrie’s best friend. Veronica talks to Dick Casablancas (Ryan Hansen), Luke Haldeman (Sam Huntington), Gia Goodman (Krysten Ritter), and Stu Cobbler (Martin Starr), who were on the boat with Susan the night Susan died. (Carrie was also on the boat that night.)

Veronica Mars spying on Gia Goodman

Veronica realizes that Susan’s death was covered up by Dick, Luke, Gia, and Stu. She also finds out that Carrie was killed because she threatened to reveal the truth of what happened to Susan on the boat. Veronica thinks Gia and Luke framed Logan for Carrie’s murder and are the actual murderers. Veronica calls Gia and plays her recordings of Carrie’s voice so that Gia will confess to Carrie’s murder. Gia panics and calls Stu, who has been blackmailing Carrie, Gia, and Luke ever since Susan died of an overdose and was thrown overboard. Stu hears Veronica confronting Gia, and shoots and kills her. He then comes after Veronica.

Stu is arrested after Sheriff Dan Lamb (Jerry O’Connell) is overheard refusing to investigate Carrie and Susan’s deaths. Dan Lamb loses his job as Sheriff. Veronica takes over her father’s private investigator business. Her friend Cindy (Tina Majorino) becomes her assistant.

I liked Veronica Mars a lot. It had mystery, suspense, drama, and comedic elements.  I liked James Franco’s cameo where he struggles to put on skinny jeans. He is also trying to rhyme words with “orange.”

I would recommend Veronica Mars to fans of the TV show, people who have not watched the TV show, fans of comedies, dramas, mysteries, and  suspense films. I would give Veronica Mars an A.

Oz the Great and Powerful: A Fun Time At The Movies

 

Oz the Great and Powerful

On March 23, 2013, I went to a screening of Oz The Great and Powerful and attended a discussion afterwards. I got into the movie for a group price, which is nice. I had wanted to see the movie for a long time and my expectations were high. My brother came with me and we met the others at the theater. There ended up being six of us in total. I thought there would be more, but I guess since it was a Saturday, everyone else was busy. When I say six of us, I mean the six of us who attended the movie and the discussion afterwards.

The Wizard of Oz and the China Girl in Oz the Great and Powerful

I really enjoyed watching Oz the Great and Powerful. It was funny and sad. For example, I laughed when the wizard (played by James Franco) stereotyped the monkey by implying that all monkeys like bananas. The monkey (voiced by Zach Braff) replied, “Of course, I love bananas! I’m a monkey!” I also laughed when the China Girl pleaded with the Wizard to go to the Emerald City with him; she hugged him around the legs and wouldn’t let go. I felt sympathy for the China Girl because her village was destroyed and her leg was broken. Earlier in the film, the Wizard met a girl who was unable to walk. This girl wanted him to make her walk. Joey King played both the China Girl and the girl in the wheelchair.

I thought the acting in Oz the Great and Powerful was great. In addition to James Franco and Zach Braff, the movie also stars Rachel Weisz, Mila Kunis, and Michelle Williams. James Franco’s Wizard was a con man who only cared about himself. Later, when he had to defend Oz against the two evil witches, he became a better person. I thought it was weird how much the witches were enamored with the Wizard. Rachel Weisz played Evanora, one of the evil witches. Evanora had killed Glinda’s father. Later in the film, Evanora teamed up with her sister Theodora (played by Mila Kunis) to take on the Wizard. I thought it was interesting how Theodora became evil because the man she loved rejected her. Theodora turns green after eating an apple given to her by her sister; this scene was reminiscent of the scene in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves where Snow White eats a poisoned apple and becomes unconscious. Lastly, Michelle Williams played Glinda the Good Witch. She was really sweet, and she helped the Wizard defeat the two evil witches.

The Wizard of Oz (1939) film

I thought the directing was good as well. Sam Raimi, who directed Spiderman, Spiderman 2, and Spiderman 3, directed Oz the Great and Powerful. I liked how Oz the Great and Powerful paid homage to the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, which starred Judy Garland. Oz the Great and Powerful begins in 1905 Kansas. The film starts out in black and white, just like The Wizard of Oz did. Likewise, in The Wizard of Oz, the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion were seen earlier in the film as farmhands on Auntie Em and Uncle Henry’s farm. In the beginning of Oz the Great and Powerful, the Wizard is visited by a woman who tells him that a farmer (whose last name is Gale) has asked her to marry him. (Gale was Dorothy’s last name in The Wizard of Oz.) Besides Joey King, Zach Braff and Michelle Williams also play multiple roles. I liked how there was a poppy field just like the one in The Wizard of Oz.

What I didn’t like about the film was that it makes you feel sorry for a con man. In addition, the Wizard gives Theodora a chance to be good again, but she refuses. The film seems to say that some people are capable of changing, while others are not. The Wizard changes for the better, while Theodora changes for the worse.

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

After the film, we went to a restaurant to discuss the film. The whole group liked the film, although most of them had lower expectations going into it. Their expectations were exceeded. Some of them saw Glinda as a flat character. They thought she was more one-dimensional than the other characters. I, however, did not see her this way. We had a quiz on Wizard of Oz trivia, which I won. The quiz had some obscure questions, including one about Family Guy, one about the HBO TV show Oz, and one about the Muppets. There was even one question about Gregory Maguire’s book Wicked, which I have read and am a fan of. I have also seen the musical Wicked, although I saw it at the Civic Center in San Diego instead of on Broadway in New York. I have seen The Wizard of Oz many times.  I have only read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; I have not read any of the other Oz books.

I highly recommend seeing Oz the Great and Powerful. I think that no matter who you are, you will enjoy it. I think there is much to like about Oz the Great and Powerful, whether it’s the story, the characters, the action, the actors, etc.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes: Very Tense Prequel to The Planet of the Apes franchise

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is the story of how the planet of the apes came to be.  James Franco stars as Will Rodman, a scientist who is working on a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.  His dad (John Lithgow) has the disease.  Will and his team are experimenting on apes.

Caesar and Will

When it is discovered that Bright Eyes had a baby and died trying to protect him, Will brings the baby home and raises it like a father would raise his son.  Will steals his experimental drug  so that he can use it on his father. At first, this works, but then his father’s disease spreads rapidly and kills him.

Because of an altercation with a neighbor, Caesar (Andy Serkis) is sent to a sanctuary for apes. At first, Caesar is picked on for being different (he wears clothes and is smarter than everyone else).  At the sanctuary, the apes are abused by one of the sanctuary’s caretakers (Tom Felton of the Harry Potter films).  Eventually, the apes escape and save the apes from the lab where Will works, as well as the apes from the zoo.

Apes on the Golden Gate Bridge

There is a big battle on the Golden Gate Bridge in which apes and humans die.  Will knows where the apes are going—when he gets there, he tells Caesar he’s taking him home. Caesar says he is home. Caesar has bonded with the other apes.

Caesar

This movie was pretty good. It starts out as a love story between a man and an ape and then progresses into a story about apes being mistreated, which leads us to an ape revolt. The love story is not well developed. Will doesn’t shed one tear when he has to give Caesar up. The love story between Will and the vet (Freida Pinto) is also not well developed because we do not know if they are married or boyfriend and girlfriend; all we know is that they are living together.

This movie is very tense.  There is a lot of action in it.  Some scenes are scary. The acting is okay.  The special effects were good.

I would recommend this movie to fans of action movies, and fans of The Planet of the Apes films.  I would give this film a B because it is good, not great.

Palo Alto: Short Stories by Actor James Franco

Palo Alto by James Franco

James Franco may be best known for being an actor, but he is also a writer. He is unlike other actors because he is well educated and continues to further his education by going to graduate schools and getting more and more degrees.  I stumbled on his book Palo Alto and bought it.

James Franco

I can’t say Palo Alto is completely well written. Parts of it were, while other parts were not.  Palo Alto, California is where James Franco grew up, so it is quite fitting that he makes this the title of his book of short stories.  Palo Alto is a depressing look at teenagers growing up in Palo Alto. There is a lot of sex, drugs, language, and violence in these stories.

I liked some of the stories better than others.  Franco starts off the book with “Halloween,” a story about a boy who accidentally kills a young woman on Halloween night—he runs her over with his car.  Another story, “I Could Kill Someone” is about a boy who contemplates killing his tormentor but then realizes that the tormentor is a human too.  It is only after getting a gun that he decides against shooting him.  I found this story to be very timely, given what is happening at high school nowadays: kids are being bullied and are committing suicide or getting revenge.

Another story I liked was about a boy who got in trouble for a DUI.  He had to work after school  in a library, but got caught defacing the children’s books.  There was a discussion about children’s book characters being gay; the main character asserted that  they were not, his friend said they were.  The boy is then forced to work after school in a nursing home. On his days off, he takes art classes.  He gives his drawings  of a woman in  the nursing home  to her and she likes them. He doesn’t think he’s a good artist, but the woman and her daughter do.  I could relate to this because when I was younger, a girl I knew would draw pictures of me.  Later, I met a young man who would draw pictures of people and he was really good at it.

James Franco on the back cover of Palo Alto

James Franco’s cover on the back  cover looks like he’s deep in thought. I am a big fan of James Franco’s movie career—he is a good actor. Maybe I’ll support his writing career if he continues to write books.

While I didn’t completely like Palo Alto, I would recommend it to people who like James Franco, people who like stories about teenagers, and people who like reading about sex, drugs, and violence.  I would give Palo Alto a B because it was not the type of stories I like to read.  Also, it was very depressing.  I would argue, though, that it was very interesting.  I didn’t like how some of the stories ended because nothing really happened. Sometimes this was a good thing because you didn’t want something bad to happen. Palo Alto has very little humor in it; it is mostly serious.  Franco throws in many  references to books, which I really appreciated.  I liked Palo Alto by James Franco, and I look forward to reading his books.