BOOK REVIEW: Fifty Shades of Grey

**just reposting from my Goodreads account. Didn't even remember writing a review for this one - that's a sign how much I tried to forget about this crap.

Well , well.. That was painful. And not in a good way. 

Author:  E.L. James
Country:  UK
Genre:  Erotic Romance, BDSM
# of pages:  514
Year Published:  2011

Holy cow, that was horrible writing! Thank God I'm done with this one!

My SUBCONSCIOUS is currently floating in a river - lifeless. Just wasn't able to take all the crap I force-fed her.

And my INNER GODDESS was wondering about how many shades of psychosis those characters really have. She sank into the plush sofa in my head and put her feet in the coffee table, grabbed her copy of Are You There Vodka, It's Me Chelsea and totally immersed herself to the silly but at least funny anecdotes in the book. But not before she rolled her eyes at me. Yeah. My snobbish, snappy inner goddess is not amused by this particular choice of book. Good thing Christian didn't see that eye-roll, or she would have kicked his controlling, stalker, psycho ass once he utters his usual "So help me god, Lucresia's Inner Goddess, I will take you over my knees and smack you hard with my twitchy palms." Now let's see who's the real Dom. -_-

Seriously, this is worse than Twilight.

So many times I wanted to give up & not finish it, but, I needed to know what it is that made this book so popular.

(Back 2 Back) THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO: Oplev's or Fincher's?

Journalist Mikael Blomkvist is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for forty years by Lisbeth Salander, a young computer hacker.

          (2009) Directed by:  Niels Arden Oplev                              (2011) Directed by:  David Fincher
        Starring:  Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace                        Starring:  Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara
                  Running Time: 152 mins.                                                         Running Time:  158 mins.

It's rare to find a movie adaptation that is as good as the book, or better. What's even rarer? A Hollywood remake that is as good as the original film, or better. I'm actually already partial to the film adaptations even before seeing them since I was mildly disappointed with Larsson's novel (or the translated one). While its plot was intriguing and the context & themes explored provocative, somehow the manner it was written was at times off-putting. Here's my book review, if anyone's interested.

Now let's talk about the movies! 


Michael Nyqvist vs. Daniel Craig:  Who's the real Millenium's Don Juan?  

The Raid: Redemption (2011)

Original Title: "Serbuan Maut"

Director/Writer: Gareth Evans

Starring: Iko Uwais (Rama), Joe Taslim (Jaka), Donny Alamsyah (Andi), Yayan Ruhian (Mad Dog), Ray Sahetapy (Tama)

Taglines:  
"1 Ruthless Crime Lord, 20 Elite Cops, 30 Floors of Chaos"
"When there's nowhere left to run or hide... you fight or die."

Plot Summary: "A SWAT team becomes trapped in a tenement run by a ruthless mobster and his army of killers and thugs." - IMDb

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This movie is awesome.

I never thought that an Indonesian movie could make me feel so satisfied with what I saw. O_O Watching the non-stop action inside a dilapidated building, cramped hallways, inside the rooms, even in an elevator, - up close and fast-paced gives you the feeling that you're in there. It has everything, from gunplay to knife fights, eye-gouging, and a lot of martial arts action.

QUICKIES: Orphan, Rosemary's Baby, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, Bad Teacher

My quick reviews of these four films.

Melancholia (2011)

Director & Writer: Lars Von Trier

Starring: Kirsten Dunst(Justine), Charlotte Gainsbourg (Claire), Kiefer Sutherland (John)

Taglines:

"Enjoy it while it lasts"

"It will change everything"

"Two sisters find their already strained relationship challenged as a mysterious new planet threatens to collide with the Earth."

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I can't comment much about this film I think I need to rewatch this to be sure if i do like it or not. One thing I'm certain of is Lars Von Trier's genius. His films may not be appealing to everybody, but his films and the human issues involved are authentic and worth watching.

I've only seen two of his movies (The Idiots, Dancer in the Dark) so I was used to his Dogme 95 technique and I'm actually surprised to see the polished quality of Melancholia. There is still his trademark shaky camera movement, but the sandy, gritty texture is gone. The cinematography/shots are actually beautiful, although there are a few too-dark scenes which I didn't like.