The Hunger Games Trilogy: Mockingjay Part 2

First off, if you haven't watched the film yet, and you don't want spoilers, leave. But other than that, this is a must-watch film, also, it's best if you already read the books, or at least watched the previous movies to fully appreciate this.

I've read the entire trilogy a couple of years back, and I'm so eager to finally see the finale of The Hunger Games Trilogy in film.  Anticipating this, my heart raced a little faster than it should as I thought of Prim's underserved death and while taking our seats, I've been brimming with sadness that Peeta's gorgeous physique would soon be one legless but still handsomely body.

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In one gulp, this fourth and final leg of The Hunger Games is about Katniss, the Mockingjay, leading a rebellion against the Capitol. Determined to end the bloodbath entertainment of the yearly games, Katniss under the wings of District 13's President Alma Coin,  teamed up with Gale and other victors including Peeta and Finnick in a mission, an attempt to assassin President Coriolanius Snow in the midst of a soon-to-be full scale war of Panem's Capitol against its Districts. 

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Reading the book first hand, I personally noticed a bit of changes in the movie. Some of the changes were:

1. Plutarch didn't shine well. The book has a lot of Plutarch appearances but since Philip Seymore Hoffman died in the middle of the film-making, some of his scenes were either replaced or omitted. The scene where Plutarch should talk personally with Katniss was replaced by Haymitch loudly reading Plutarch's letter to Katniss.
2. Katniss looks like a trained soldier where in fact, Coin didn't let her join at first because she's not capable. But, the twist is, although Katniss looks loaded, she in the movie, didn't kill a random Capitol woman.
3. The girl in the yellow coat didn't get shot, but I think the audience will still think that the girl's a goner since all children were pulled out in front. Killing every children, including Prim.
4. Katniss should have major burns that it contorts her face, but, alas, in the film, her face is still her face, I guess. Plus,
5. Katniss should have battled a trauma, but in the film, she looks like she already is healed inside. I think, this movie is more forgiving and gentle than the book.
6. Peeta got to keep his leg. This movie IS more forgiving and gentle than the book, I dare say.
7. But to make the fresh wound bleeds, Annie Cresta keeps in touch with Peeta through letters with a photo of her and her baby with Finnick. Heart sinking. I take it back, this movie is unforgiving as the book.

I think these changes didn't affect how wonderfully the movie has been executed because regardless of these, the movie didn't turn out well, it turned out great! (Coming from someone who reads the entire trilogy).

I remember Finnick telling Katniss "Welcome to the 76th Hunger Game!" and the unforgettable scenes for me were Bogg's, the liquid tar pod that killed Mitchell and the scene with the mutts. The mutts gave me nightmares!

Prim's death really blows hard every time (reading and watching) this trilogy, the very person Katniss wants to protect from the start, died. And then I threw my fist in the air (at least in my head, I did) right after Katniss draw an arrow straight to Coin's deceitful heart.

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Thank you Mommy Lariza, MBP and MOD Production for treating us with a movie date!

I'll end this post with my favorite lovey-dovey scenes:

Yes, you can say that I'm #teamPeeta!

Remember, some may love Gale. Some may love Peeta. But everyone loves Finnick.

I leave the movie theater thinking about Finnick. The Hunger Games is unforgiving, as always.

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May the odds be forever in your favor.

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And, why did it seems like Gale traitored Katniss in the movie?

Chocolat by Joanne Harris

cover of the book I read

Who loves chocolate? Well, this is a story for y’all chocolate lovers out there! Are you aware that there was a time when “eating chocolate is a sin”?

This is the era where the story begun. It’s about the dark luscious taste of pure chocolate that seduce people of the town to ignore the priest’s Sunday sermon of avoiding sinning. Vianne Rocher with her young daughter arrived in a small French village in the beginning of Lent, where they started a business of chocolate. The store faces the church hosted by a young cure Francis Reynaud that watches her with disapproval and suspiciously thinks she's tempting the villagers to over-indulge...

The people cannot resist Vianne's good humor and carefree lifestyle... She even help a woman to stand against domestic abuse and she helped outcasts and children. I like how she shows her wit to the stern town people and touched their hearts through serving them chocolates.

Her genuine intentions caught the self-righteous cure off his tracks and in the end, he gave in to the luxury taste of her pure dark chocolates and hence completely open the mind of the people to embrace this new sweet treats.

I also love the film, especially the parts where they make chocolate treats. It's a mouth-watering movie starring Johnny Depp and Julliete Binoche. Now I'm hunting for the sequel "The Lollipop Shoes". :)

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Warning: Big Spoiler!

I stopped myself from watching THG because I want to read the book first :)

The Hunger Games

Just finished the book after 3 days and watched the film right away... Am I super late? Oh well, it's better to be late than never.. Fresh from my mind, I easily observe the difference between the book and the film. I love the details of the book mostly on the part where Peeta and Katniss are together in the arena. But I think this time, I love the film more. Simply because Peeta Mellark kept his foot unlike in the book that its been replaced with metal. amp!

The events took place in a nation called Panem, after the unknown war destruction, the wealthy Capitol and the twelve provinces surrounding it named by districts one to twelve. District 12, the coal region was were Katniss and Peeta came from. To avoid repeating the war, the Capitol started the Hunger Games where in a boy and a girl ages 12 to 18 are chosen randomly from different districts to participate as tributes that must fight their way in an outdoor arena controlled bu the Capitol.

Katniss Everdeens

74th Hunger Games is the first time where young Primrose's name was included to the fish bowl of tributes but that didn't guarantee that the odds are in her favor since Effie Trinket's picked her name in random. Dearest Primrose, like a duckling, slowly walked over to the stage until Katniss volunteered on her behalf.

Primrose Everdeens

Peeta Mellark, a baker's son was the boy tribute of District 12. Katniss recognized him as the bread boy from her school, once he gave her bread for her starving family. In the book, the mayor's daughter, Madge, gave Katniss the mockingjay pin, while on the film, Greasy Sae from the Hob gave her the pin. Really thought Madge is an important character! She's important on the 2nd and 3rd book! I don't know how will it be without her. hmmp Guess I'm gonna find out...

Peeta Mellark

After a brief farewell to their friends and family, both tributes from district 12 was taken to the Capitol to be trained by their drunken mentor, Haymitch Abernathy; the only victor of their district in the 50th Hunger Games. In their several days in the Capitol, they were well fed, kept clean and beautified Katniss can't even recognize herself! While practicing, Haymitch told them to watch out for other tributes, Peeta revealed his feelings for Katniss live on air with Ceasar Flickerman, and Katniss has found a small spot for District 11's girl tribute, Rue who reminds her very well of Prim.

Peeta's love declaration was thought by Katniss only as a strategy to staying alive. Aside from hunting, they survive the game because the sponsors send gifts like soup for Peeta, medicine for Katniss burned ankle and etc. Inside the arena, Katniss was joined by Rue in a short time because the boy from District 11 struck her with a spear that causes her death. Katniss sing her to death and adorned her body with wild flowers as her last respect. That part made me cry! :'( *sniffs*

To highlight the "Star-Crossed Lovers" of District 12, the rules was changed halfway of the games, two tributes can now win as a pair as long as their both on the same district. This is when Katniss finds Peeta, hiding and wounded. She took care of him and nurse him back to health while hunting for their food. She acts as a young girl falling inlove that catches the hearts of the audience in the Capitol. After defeating all the tributes, at last the Gamemakers change the rule to its original standard of lone victor. Hence, Katniss suggests they commit suicide by taking out poisonous berries from her pouch. Before they took their lives, the Gamemakers announced that both of them were official victors of the 74th Hunger Games!

Katniss thought its over... She survived and she's ready to go home; young, rich and famous. Not until she was warned by Haymitch that she puts a stirring to the districts by defying the Capitol's authority by her suicide attempt in the arena.

Peeta on the other hand was strucked and heartbroken after he discovered that Katniss in the arena was not for real. I felt sad for Peeta!  Now, as they go back to their district, Katniss was now unsure how she feels about Peeta and how she'll face her long time hunting partner, Gale.

Gale Hawthorne

Like I said earlier, in the book, Peeta had his broken ankle replaced by metal, but in the film, they didn't show that he's injured.. And I'm happy to have Peeta biologically complete! :D

Things kept on stirring! and now I'm reading the 2nd book! Cant wait to see the next film! Oooooh.. I really thought Madge should be in the film! :3 What do you think?

James and the Giant Peach

Aside from growing up watching Matilda, I always had the heart for James and his giant peach.

James and the whole gang! :)

And just now, I've learned that both Matilda and James came from the great mind of Author Roald Dahl! It's just amazing? :D

James and the Giant Peach

When James Henry Trotter is four, he lives with his parents in a cottage by the sea in the south of England. James's world is simple and happy until his mother and father died. He then was forced to live with his two horrible aunts, Spiker and Sponge in a high, desolate hill near the Dover white cliffs. Aunts, Spiker and Sponge always abuse James. He was forced to sleep in the floors of the attic, clean the house, beaten when he feels happy with his happy thoughts and was not allowed to join his aunts in meals, he hardly eats at all.

One day, when he was crying his sadness in the bushes, a strange little man appeared and gave him a sack of tiny glowing green crocodile tongues saying that supposedly to be mixed with water and ten strands of his hair that'll bring happiness and great adventure! Unfortunately, James tripped and spilled the sack's content on a dying peach tree...

There starts magic in James world. The tree grew one humongous peach! His Aunts makes a living on it while forbidding James to go near it. James got the chance when his aunts told his to clean up the backyard. He was so hungry he tried to get a handful of the fruit, while eating,  a fleshy tunnel shown and James curiously get inside where he meets different kind of insects magically transformed by the magic crocodile tongues.

His adventure with his new friends begun when the peach broke off its branch and rolled over through the village, houses, falling off the cliff into the sea, until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean. Their destination, James' dream, New York.

In the end, James' dream come true. He had new friends while his insect friends search their new places in the human world. He lived the rest of his life in the hollowed-out stone that is now a mansion in Central Park.

This is a fun-filled animation with singing and dancing. James and his friends struggles and succeeded. I just love how James lived in the giant peach! I really wish I was in there too when I was young! Hehe Who doesn't? I remembered it like eating your own house. :P

Have you watched/read James adventures yet? You'll be craving for peaches in the end! ;)

THE LITTLE RASCALS

I grew up watching this film, and I never got tired of adoring the gang and their mischief...

It's about the "He-Man Woman Haters Club" of local school aged boys who took oath not to play with girls. Their president

Spanky

decided that they will enter again to the annual go-cart race using their very own cart;

"Blur"

and the racers would be him as the president and his best friend Alfalfa which is a very not active club member.

Speaking of not-so-active member, Alfalfa skipped the meeting, hence they search to tell him he'll be the one to join the race but saw him in a romantic boat ride with his secret sweetheart, Darla!

Darla and Alfalfa

The boys tried to sabotage their date but failed...

The He-Woman Haters members started spying on the couple because of the club's rule of forbidding its club members to play with including having a romantic relationship with girls! Thinking they have to save Alfalfa! LoL

The trouble begins! Aside from their new problem with the romantic date, the club house causes fire, which means they don't have a club house anymore! They tried to call the fire department but neither Buckwheat nor Porky knew 911.. hehe And the cart "Blur" was stolen by bullies, Woim and Butch to use for the go-cart race. SMH

Alfalfa is the center of the menace! He also had a rivalry with Waldo, a rich school aged boy who eyed Darla for himself plus the fact that he has an amazing cart to use for the race while the gang's Blur just got stolen and clubhouse just got burned! All of the mayhem affected Spanky and Alfalfa's friendship too...

After all the trouble, the gang make it through the go-cart race by building an improvised "Blur-2", Alfalfa won Darla over Waldo, the bestfriends become bestfriends again, they got "Blur" from Woim and Butch plus they won the racing cup with $500 winning cash that they will use to build a new and improved clubhouse, this time the "He-Woman Haters Club" has a "Welcome Women" sign that makes Darla and her girlfriends join the club!

Light at heart, childish and extraordinarily good! Best film for all ages! What more can I ask for, Alfalfa got me by his waving ears!

Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians Book 1: The Lightning Thief

I first saw this as a film by Director Chris Columbus and Logan Lerman as Percy Jackson.

Meet the protagonist, Percious Jackson aka Percy. Dyslexic and hyper, trouble is always on his sleeves. Never been loyal to any school because each year, freak accidents occur that causes him being kicked out and blacklisted!

His only friend, Grover, limping, a favorite victim of bullies in their school like Nancy Bobofit, was always being defended by Percy...

Until, he accidentally vaporize his Pre-Algebra Teacher, Mrs. Doods! He needed to defend himself against Mrs. Doods who was attacking him while transforming from a regular teacher to a monster! Thank goodness his Latin teacher, Mr. Brunner throw him a pen, that when uncapped became a three-foot long bronze sword that vaporized her!

After trying so hard to keep his identity from himself, Mr. Brunner and Grover finally have to spill the beans!

Mr. Brunner is actually Chiron from one of his stories in Latin class, a centaur that helps heroes and Grover is a satyr. Grover smelled Percy was a hero, hence from then on, keep him from the monsters at bay. After realizing all these, he needs to go to Camp Half-Blood.

Chiron - the centaur

Things got worse, when he was summoned by his recently known father, Poseidon, god of the sea, to go to a quest and retrieve the lightning rod and search for the thief. Because, Zeus was accusing Percy of as the thief!

Zeus and Poseidon was at a dawn of war because during winter solstice, Zeus' symbol of power, lightning rod was stolen and he is giving Poseidon until the end of summer solstice to search for it. Or else, world war 3 will approach.

His new friend Luke, son of Hermes,; god of thieves and travelers, gave him a pair of rubber shoes that has wings, but since he should avoid air for Zeus might snap him to death like a fly, Percy gave the magic shoes to Grover, who delightfully accept it... Percy, leaves the camp with his new-found friend, Annabeth, daughter of Athena and Grover, the satyr.

Grover, Percy and Annabeth

Along their journey, they've met several mythological characters and monsters including:

• Three Fates - three old ladies whose on the other side of the highway, sitting on rocking chairs of an old-fashioned fruit stand, knitting a huge pair of socks using an electric blue yarn. The lady on the right and left were each knitting a sock, while the middle one was holding the yarn. Clotho spins the Thread, Lachesis decides how long a life is to be, and Atropos cuts the lifeline with her shears. All three decide on the destiny of all things.

• Aunt Em - who sells human size garden gnomes. She is actually Medusa, a woman cursed by Athena to have skin for hair and eyes that makes everyone a stone.

  

  Medusa

• Fat lady with Chihuahua - instead of being a chihuahua, the fat lady's dog in the elevator of St. Louis Arch actually turned out to be a Chimera, a fire-breathing monster.

Chimera

• Haunted Hotel - where kids never grow old, sleeps in condo units with an access card unlimited to video games! This part totally creeps me out!
• Crusty - a man who owns a Mattress Shop where customers who tried to test the size of the bed either get stretched to death until they fit the bed or get axed in the head and feet if they are too tall.
• Kindly Ones - includes the fury Mrs. Doods and two others during their bus trip, Minotaur and other monsters on the lose, that can be killed but can never be destroyed.
• Charon -  is the ferryman of Hades who carries souls of the newly deceased across the rivers Styx. Percy, Grover and Annabeth rode the boat using a golden drachma as payment and promise him to tell Hades to increase his salary.

The truth came in the end, the titan, Kronos, was the one behind the thief.

Long ago, titan Kronos used to eat his children, but her wife hid Zeus that later on trick Kronos on barfing out his brothers and sisters (which he cannot kill even if he eats them because they are gods) who grew up inside his stomach. After which, Zeus defeated his father, sliced him into pieces and scattered his remains in the darkest part of the Underworld, Tartalus. But, if gods cannot die, so does titans.

Kronos, tricked gods and demigods (half human, half god) to do his will.

Percy found out later that there are two missing objects; Zeus' lightning rod and Hades' helm of darkness, which are the reasons Mrs. Doods attacked him. Luke was a thief and a traitor, Ares, god of war, kept the helm of darkness and was forced to give it to Percy after being defeated in a battle...

This book was a modern story of mythology like the Adventures of Hercules. Rick really did a great job. The twists just kept on coming, keeping the readers addicted from page one to the end. As for me, it kept my eyes reading until I finish the book! All it took me was one day!

Have you read about Percy yet?

CORALINE

Meet Coraline Jones... A young explorer at heart. Coraline's biggest annoyances are not being taken seriously because she's young and that everyone mistakes her name for Caroline. Nevertheless, she is always curious, resourceful, smart and courageous.

Her parents, Mr. Charlie and Mrs. Mel Jones both have home based work. They are always in front of the their computers and want everything quiet including Coraline, to concentrate. Coraline's parents are a bit boring, but the two definitely love their daughter.

She and her parents currently move in the "Pink Apartment"; a Queen Anne Style house that's been divided into four compartments.

On the basement lives two elderly women, retired actresses, Miss Spink and Miss Forcible

who used to perform on carnival stage.  Their ageing Scotties named as Hamish, Angus and Jock and many more are so loved and they don't wannabe detached to them, so the two old ladies are very favorable on stuffing them. Miss Spink and Miss Forcible also talk in theater jargon, often referencing their good old-time as actresses.

On Coraline's stop for a tea with Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, using Coraline's left tea leaves, Miss Spink assumed Coraline's future as dangerous and give her a stone with a hole in it to help protect her. In the other world they are young, pretty, and perform unendingly in front of many different dogs, who, in the Other World, behave like humans.

and on the topmost lives Mr. Bobinski, A retired Russian mouse circus trainer and circus performer; he is commonly referred to as the Crazy Old Man Upstairs or simply Mr. B.  She gave him the sample cheeses that the mail man leaves in front of their doorstep. And after their chitchat, Mr. B shared to her a message from the mice, "do not go through little door..."

He claims to be training mice to perform in a mouse circus, he want the mice to go "Oooompah Oooompah!" but the mice only do "twiddle toot" that's why he's experimenting on cheese.  His counterpart in the Other World trains rats, and is in fact made of rats.

She befriended Wybourne 'Wybie' Lovat.

He is a bit weird to her like all of her other new neighbors, and constantly gets her name wrong. He even decided to give her a nickname, Jonesy, which she disliked even more.

His grandmother is the landlady of the Pink Palace, and seemingly his guardian because his parents aren't ever mentioned. His grandmother also lost her twin sister when she was Coraline's age at the same pink apartment, hence, she usually avoid accepting tenants with children for fear they'll be gone as well...

He is the one who gives Coraline the doll that look exactly like her, that turns out to be a way for the Other Mother to spy on her victims' lives.

Coraline Doll

Her first day on their new house was a bit boring because her parents are busy on their work and she's not allowed to go outside since it's raining and her mom do not want extra things to do like cleaning mud. So her dad gave her things to do, like search the house and count everything in blue. On her search and discovery of the house, she found a locked drawing-room. She asked her mom for the key of the door and was disappointed to see that it's all bricked up.

Caroline's curiosity gets the best of her!

Despite warnings, Coraline decides to follow the mice , unlock the door and finds the brick wall behind the door gone. In its place is a long passageway, which leads to a flat identical to her own, inhabited by her Other Mother and Other Father, who are replicas of her real parents except, they have button eyes and exaggerated features.

In the “Other World”, Coraline finds everything better than her reality: her Other Parents are attentive, cooks good food, loves mud, have a gorgeous garden that looked like her, plays music and her toy box is filled with animate toys that can move and fly!

The Other Miss Spink and Miss Forcible forever perform a cabaret show in their flat and the Other Mr. Bobinsky have a mice show upstairs! She even find the Other Wybie cool for not being able to talk! lol

She even finds the feral Black Cat can talk that wandered around the house in the real world , however she learns he is not part of the Other World and has come to warn the "Other World" is dangerous... The cat is very sarcastic, but helpful and  acts as a mentor and guides her through her journey to escape from the other mother.. He claims to have no name and he does not have an "other world" counterpart, saying that unlike other creatures in the world, cats can "keep themselves together". He moves freely from one world to the next, although he can only talk in the other mother's world.

The story will keep you more and more hooked up! The fun starts to run out when the Beldam asked her to stay forever by sewing on button in her eyes which obviously make Coraline freaked out...

Characters in Coraline Animation

She even met three ghost children, each from a different era, one she recognized as the blue sad boy in the painting, the other girl was Wybie's grandmother's twin sister who all had let the Beldam sew buttons in their eyes.

After the Other Mother releases Coraline from the mirror, Coraline proposes a game in which she must find the ghost children’s souls and her parents, which lay hidden throughout the Other World. If Coraline wins, she, her parents and the ghost children may go free. If not, Coraline will let the Other Mother sew the buttons into her eyes.

The plot was fun and the twist are very unexpected! I love how Coraline defeated the Other Mother. And in the end, the story shows that we should be contented on what we have right now. We should love the imperfection!

So, have you seen your other mother lately?