Monday, March 18, 2013

And Then There Was Four!

Well bloggermuffins, that casting decision of Peeta-sized proportions has finally been made!
i am, of course, talking about who will be playing Four in the upcoming Divergent movie. 

And the role goes to... Theo James. Which is actually kinda funny because recently, after seeing a commercial for Golden Boy, i was trying to determine whether i found him attractive. My verdict? Well, he is quite handsome. i mean, obvs. But i think that might be the problem. Maybe he's a little TOO handsome. And, truth be told, i'm not that big a fan of guys with pouty lips. i mean, i'm not into thin-lipped guys either. Typically i go for the Goldilocks of lips: aka just right. ;) 
Anyhoo, i think that's my main problem with Theo. He's a little too pouty for me. And i think that's the problem i have with him playing Four. Four is in no way, shape, or form pouty or modelesque. Four is gritty and badass and rough around the edges. And i don't know if Theo has what it takes to pull that off. Although, i've never actually seen him act. So maybe he's really the perfect Four and i just don't know it because, based solely on my Google Image search, he looks too GQ.     




i just don't know, guys. For the moment, i'm totes on the fence about this one.
What do y'all think? Did the movie casting peeps get it right? If not, who would be your ideal Four? Dish it in the comments.  

Oh, and in less-important-because-it-isn't-about-Four Divergent movie news, the part of douchebag Eric has also been cast. He will be played by Jai Courtney.
Also, that rumor about Kate Winslet being somehow involved with this movie still persists. Although it's still unclear who she'll play. My money would be on Jeanine. 
And i recently heard an AMAZING rumor which i REALLY hope is true: Aaron Eckhart is perhaps, possibly vying for a role in the movie! My guess is that he might play Tris' dad. i don't care if he wins the part of Garbage Man #2, i LOVE me some Aaron Eckhart!!! Just the possibility that he MIGHT be in this movie is enough for me. 

Well guys, it seems like Divergent movie news is coming fast and furious these days so whenever someone else is for sure cast (Will! Al! Uriah!) i'll be sure to report it. So be sure to check back for more Books Into Movies news soon.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Delirium Casting, Total Books Into Movies And TV News Overload, Plus The Veronica Mars Movie!!!

Hey there, bloggermuffins. i'm back with even more Books Into Movies and TV news. And a lot of the news i've got to share has to do with casting decisions. So let's get down to business so we can then rant and rave about said decisions. Because, trust me, i've got quite a few rants to make, y'all. And also quite a few raves! (Veronica Mars movie!!! Ahhh!!! i'm soooo excited!!!)  

Let's kick it off with Delirium:
You know, for a project that seems to have taken foooooorevvvvver to come together, Delirium has suddenly been tossing out names left and right. Awhile back i told you that Emma Roberts was chosen to play Lena. Which i'm not mad at one little bit because i love Emma Roberts! She's a great actress and i think she'll do a phenom job at capturing both Lena's naivity and her strength.
Recently a few more names were named. Some i'm ok with. Others? Well, we'll come to that in a minute.

Billy Campbell has been cast as Thomas Fineman. Whenever i think of Billy Campbell (which, admittedly, isn't often) i always think of that movie Enough (which is pretty much the ONLY Jennifer Lopez movie that i actually like.) If you haven't seen it, Billy Campbell plays a total dick in it. i mean, at first he's nice and charming. That's why Jennifer Lopez falls for him. But then he turns into an abusive douchebag. So JLo takes their adorable daughter and high tails it outta there. But, being a complete dick, Billy Campbell follows her and they have this huge fight at the end where JLo kicks his ass because while she's been hiding from him, she's also been training and taking karate classes and shit. Long story short, JLo totally kills Billy Campbell. 
Anyhoo, my point (and yes i did have one) is that Billy Campbell can play a very convincing villain. i also think that his stint on The Killing as Darren Richmond will help him channel Mr. Fineman's political side. So, in other words, i'm good with this decision.

And speaking of the Finemans, an actor has also been cast in the role of Julian Fineman. And that actor is Gregg Sulkin. Some of you might know him as Lil Fitz, Ezra's younger brother Wes on Pretty Little Liars. Since i'm not a Julian girl, i don't really care one way or the other about this casting decision. It's fine, i guess. Unlike SOME decisions. (We're just not there yet. But soon, my pretties, soon!) 

The role of Lena's bestie, Hana, has been snagged by Jeanine Mason. i had no idea who this chick was but then i checked imdb and found out that she plays the new girl, Cozette, on Bunheads and she was also on So You Think You Can Dance. So she's evidently more dancer than actor but we'll see how she does with Hana. 

A role that i didn't even know was part of the Delirium universe, that of a Senator Hargrove, has been assigned to Michael Michele. i guess this is supposed to be in place of Mayor Hargrove who we don't even meet until Requiem and even then we don't really meet him. So i don't know why they've changed the character from a Mayor to a Senator or why they've made him into a woman (yeah, don't let the first name fool ya. Michael Michele is a chick) but i guess we'll just have to wait and see what this character is all about.

And now, yes, NOW, for the big steaming pile of casting BULLSHIT!
Daren Kagasoff will play Alex. That's right, friends! Ricky from fucking Secret Life of the American Teenager and his Dylan McKay hair will play my sweet, beloved Alex. This is SUCH BULLSHIT!!! SUCH COMPLETE BULLSHIT!!! UGH! i can't believe this! Of ALL the actors they could have picked, why oh why did it have to be Ricky from fucking Secret Life of the American Teenager and his motherfucking Dylan McKay hair?!?!? WHY?!?!? Ugh, isn't it BAD ENOUGH that Amy from fucking Secret Life of the American motherfucking Teenager is gonna play Tris in the Divergent movie?! Now they have to cast fucking RICKY as my sweet, sweet Alex in Delirium?!?! 
Needless to say, i totes DON'T approve of this decision. :*(

Noooooooooooooooooooo!!!

Ok, i could literally complain about this forever so let's just go ahead and move on, guys.
Since i just mentioned Divergent, let's discuss some of the casting choices there. 
We already know that stupid fucking Amy from stupid fucking Secret Life nabbed the role of Tris. And we also already know how i feel about that. But three more actors have been added to the roster.
Zoe Kravitz, daughter of Cinna, will play Christina. Ansel Elgort has been cast as Tris' big bro Caleb. And Maggie Q will play Tori. i'm really excited that Maggie Q is on board and i like her as Tori. Nikita is one of my fave shows and i think if anyone is totes Dauntless it's Maggie Q!

We've talked a lot (or it feels like a lot anyway) about the shuffling around of The Selection TV project. Well it seems like now the whole thing is getting recast. i thought that perhaps Aimee Teegarden's role as America Singer was safe but apparently not. Homegirl has been replaced by someone i don't know named Yael Grobglas.
The role of Prince Maxon has also been recast. It goes to an actor by the (pretty awesome) name Michael Malarkey. i've never heard of him either. But based on his pic on the Hollywood Crush link, he's seems pretty hot, so kudos there, CW.
The final piece to the love triangle, the role of Aspen Leger will be played by Lucien Laviscount an actor i totally don't know as opposed to William Moseley who originally won the role and whom i totally do know from all the Narnia films.
A king and a queen have also been cast. The role of Queen Amberly will be played by Louise Lombard. Never heard of her.
And the role of King Clarkson goes to, get this you guys, GILES!!! From Buffy the Vampire Slayer!!! Yeah! Anthony Head!!! This news is supremely awesome and i totally approve! Now all i have to do is actually READ this book so i'll know if any of these actors are actually right for these roles. Yep, i still haven't read The Selection yet. i guess i should probably get on that. Especially if this new version winds up getting the green light.  

And lastly, the Best News EVER!!! The loooooooooong awaited Veronica Mars movie is finally a go, people!!! i'm sure by now you've all heard the news. How Kristen Bell and Rob Thomas (creator/producer of Veronica Mars NOT the lead singer of Matchbox 20) asked the rabid VM fans for help through donations to the tune of $2 million.  And how in mere hours after the call went out, 09ers and PChers alike dug deep and came up with the cash! And how now the Veronica Mars movie is officially on like Donkey Kong!!!! It's so damn exciting!!! Now check out the vid from Kickstarter and weep with fangirlish tears o' joy! :)




If you'd like to help make the dream a reality, head over to the Kickstarter website where you can donate any amount of dough you'd like. (Last i checked it was already at over $3 million!) But get it in while ya can because the funding will close April 12th.

i think that's about all the excitement (FINALLY a Veronica Mars movie!!!!!!) and the disappointment (Noooooooooo! Ricky from Secret Life! Whhhhhhhhhy?!?!?) i can take in one blog post.
Now i wanna know what you guys think. Give me your rants, raves and everything in between in the comments section!

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Evil Eva Reviews... Matched


EvilEva reviews ...... Matched by Ally Condie.


Dissecting The Cover:

Hey, it's Glinda the Good Witch of Match.com! JK!
I actually don't mind this cover. Even if it does commit a YA book cover double-whammy: Semi-faceless girl? Check. Fancy pretty dress? Double check. 
Howevs, at least the girl does look like Cassia. I mean, from what I can tell. Since, you know, she's semi-faceless and all. I mean, at least they got her hair color right. And the green dress looks very much the way Cassia's Match Banquet gown is described. 
Although, I don't recall there being a moment in which Cassia is stuck in a bubble. Unless you count the "bubble" that is the Society in which she lives. Boom! Your mind just got blown!

Let's Review:

In the Society, everything is predetermined. Nothing is left up to fate.
Where you'll work. Who you'll marry. Even when you'll die. It's all decided for you.
Cassia Reyes is on her way to becoming exactly who the Society wants her to be.
On her 17th birthday she finally finds out who they've chosen as her Match. Cassia is surprised (and more than a little relieved) to discover that the face on the screen at her Match Banquet is a familiar one. She already knows her Match! It's her best friend, Xander. Cassia feels beyond lucky.
Until an error occurs. Another face appears. Another boy Cassia knows.
Ky Markham.
But Cassia has already been Matched. And the Society is never wrong.
So what could it possibly mean? Is Cassia meant to be with her original Match? To live the happily ever after the Society has arranged for her?
Or will that split second of a different face, a possibly dangerous decision, change everything?
 
Here's What I Think:

For those that like their dystopias a little more romantic, swoony, and love triangle-y and a little less "Let's start a revolution!" or "Ah! Zombies! Ruuuun!," Matched is the book for you.
I'm not saying this is strictly a love story though. The Society is fucked up, to be sure, but because Cassia has been raised in it her entire life, she doesn't know any better. She doesn't know that there are things that should be questioned.
She blindly trusts her government. Until she doesn't.
To me, that was the brilliance of this book. With other dystopian novels, because of the main character's already strong point of view, we pretty much know early on that shizz is super shady and that officials are not to be trusted. But Ally Condie allowed the bullshizziness of her dystopian Society to unfurl slowly.
In fact, while reading I thought, this doesn't seem as bad as Panem where they televise young children fighting each other to the death. And at least they haven't completely outlawed love and decided that it's a disease that needs to be eradicated a la Delirium.
They just want to find you your perfect Match. And place you in the right career. And dictate how many children you can have. And--- Holy shit! I've drunk the Kool-Aid!
But see! That's how they get ya.
Everything seems fine. Everyone seems content. But it's just smoke and mirrors. There's something truly unsettling about the Society. And it's because all the soul-sucking evilness is done subtly. All the changes happen slowly.
So it takes Cassia awhile to realize that her "choices" aren't for her own well being. In fact, her choices aren't really HER choices at all.
And when she realizes that and what that truly means, she finally decides to take her life and her fate into her own hands.
And she's pretty smart about it. She rebels quietly, on the down low. She doesn't immediately gather up her pitchforks and torches and start full-on raging against the machine.
Which is good because, in the Society, that's a quick way to get yourself red-pilled. So mucho snaps to Cassia for showing some smarts. Something she demonstrates further by recognizing that any decisions she makes to break the rules won't just result in consequences for herself, they also have the potential to endanger everyone she loves. So Cassia really has to think about the risks she's willing to take.
Not to imply she's some self-sacrificing donkey, shouldering all the burden, and not even entertaining the idea of getting someone else involved in her troubles.
That's one thing that I REALLY hate that seems to be super prevalent in YA. From Harry Potter to the Pretty Little Liars, it seems like everyone is totally wrapped up in this whole "being noble" bullshit. But you're not being noble. You're being an idiot. AND frustrating the reader to the point that they want to throw large, heavy objects at you.
WHY do fictitious people have such hang ups about asking for help? I mean, what are friends for?! You can't very well defeat a dark arts obsessed wizard or an anonymous stalker with an affinity for vowels by yourself.
Sorry. It seems I've gone off on another one of my classic tangents. Let's get back to the review at hand---
That's why I Judd Nelson fist pumped so hard for Cassia. Because she recognized that shit was about to hit the fan and she didn't shut down. She turned to her parents and her best friend, Xander.
And even though she couldn't be completely forthright with them , she did give them plenty of read-between-the-lines, what-i'm-telling-you-isn't-necessarily-what-we're-actually-discussing, wink-wink, know-what-I'm sayin'.
Most of Cassia's absolute truths were saved for Ky. And they revealed said truths slyly.
So, like I said, I appreciate that the author didn't just allow Cassia to suffer in silence and wallow in untold secrets for the entirety of a 366 page book. Because, also like I said, I HATE that.
Ok, I think I've pretty thoroughly exhausted that topic. So let's move on. In fact, let's go ahead and put a ribbon on this thing.
Is Matched the rip-roaringest, compulsively page-turniest dystopian on the block? Probably not. It was a bit slow at times and there were moments when I felt like Ally Condie was maybe over-describing the situation/character/event/common household item. But I don't fault her for that. Because homegirl can flat-out write! 
More than anything, Matched is a beautifully written story about a sweet first time romance and what it means to find your own freedom.

Swoony Times:

Matched delivers one of those tried and true themes commonly found in YA: the love triangle. But because the Society is so butt crazy controlling with its strict ass rules, the most one can hope for is a few longing glances, a little light hand holding, and maybe MAYBE a chaste kiss or two.
But, HELLO!, when you've got a love of triangular proportions, you're gonna want to up the ante eventually. And that's just what Ally Condie does. She provides the slow burn.
Cassia has a BIG decision to make, so she takes her time making it. And, surprisingly enough, this didn't make me want to pull my hair out in fistfuls, clutching them towards the sky and screaming, "JUST PICK ONE ALREADY!!!"
I mean, homegirl was conflicted. I get it.
Should she go with Xander, her best friend and original Match, knowing that he would be her safest bet and that she would always be happy enough with him?
Or should she really take a chance and choose Ky, the momentary glitch in the system, knowing that in choosing him everything in her world will completely change?
It is quite the dilemma picking one handsome, smart dude that totally adores you over another equally handsome, equally smart dude that also happens to totally adores you.
So, who was I rooting for?
I think I'll take a Team Ky t-shirt; light pink, size M.
Although, in truth, Cassia really couldn't go wrong no matter which guy she chose. Both Ky and Xander possess the boyfriend potential trifecta: intelligence, a kind heart and a hot body!
But Ky's character was a little more fleshed out. We get to know him on a deeper level. Plus, I gotta admit, he totally won me over with the sneaky, wonderful way he shared his story with Cassia.

Bonus Shizz:

Dystopia!
Oh dystopias! I wish I could quit you. Although not really because this has, surprisingly enough, been the one genre where I have yet to stumble upon a stinker.
I mean, The Hunger Games, Delirium, Divergent, the Walking Chaos trilogy? Loved 'em all!
And Matched fits right in. True, it might not be the balls to the walls, thrill a minute, action-packed type of new world that you might be expecting. But that's ok. Personally, I would rather have a little variety now and then than read the same old story of Girl Meets Boy And Other Boy and Must Almost Single-handedly Save The World.

Love Triangles!
I've got a real love/hate relationship with love triangles. When done properly I think they can be fun and swoony and just a teeny bit heartbreaking (but in a good way.) When done improperly however--- UGH! Don't even get me started. *cough*Bella/Jacob*cough*
The love triangle of Cassia, Ky, and Xander is one I can get behind. Cassia's feelings for both boys never felt forced or rushed. And because they all grew up together, the progression from "it sure is fun swimming together," to "hey, you're actually pretty cute," seemed natural. 
And even though it's fairly obvious that romantically Cassia prefers Ky, it's equally as obvious that she genuinely loves Xander too. But hey, you never really know. I mean, there are two other books in the series and I guess anything could happen.

Noteworthy:

From page 127:
The books' backs are broken; their bones, thin and delicate, fall out. The workers shove them toward the incineration tube; they step on them. The bones crackle under their boots like leaves.

This passage left me seriously conflicted. On the one hand, it's so beautifully written.
But then there's that other hand. It physically hurt my stomach to read this paragraph. As a book nerd I absolutely cannot abide book homicide. Also, I'm not too keen on people being told what they can and can't read either.

If You Liked That, Try This:

Delirium by Lauren Oliver.

The Scale Of Judgment Says:

...... 4.
A sweet first-love story with a dash of rebellion on top!



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