00s Movie Review - The Lovely Bones

Director: Peter Jackson
Genre: Drama/ Thriller/ Crime/ Fantasy
Runtime: 135 minutes
Year: 2009
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Rachel Weisz, Mark Wahlberg, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Michael Imperioli

Description: Centers on a young girl (Saoirse Ronan) who has been murdered and watches over her family - and her killer - from purgatory. She must weigh her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal.

Review: “The Lovely Bones” sows that last days of Susie Salmon’s life and her first steps into heaven. Susan is a 14 year old girl, who dreams of becoming a photographer. Her life abruptly ends when she is brutally murdered. Her parents start a search for the killer. Meanwhile, Susie is in the ‘inbetween’, a place where the dead end up when they aren’t ready for heaven yet. And she watches how her father becomes obsessive in his search for the man who killed his daughter.
The film looks magical, the ‘inbetween’ looks beautiful.
Stanley Tucci and Saoirse Ronan are the two highlights of the film. Both performances are solid and strong. Ronan fits the dream world perfectly and Tucci is creepy as the sinister Harvey. He gets totally lost in his role and it’s really hard to imagine someone else in this role.
The tempo of the film is not that solid though. Sometimes it’s fast paced, sometimes it’s a bit of a drag. And the tone of the film sometimes switches too, which makes it a bit messy here and there. This doesn’t fit the dreamy world at all.
It’s really hard to rate this film, because it’s a really beautiful movie. It looks gorgeous and has some really good performances. And the story is beautiful as well. But there are some inconsistencies here and there. A case of ‘the book was better’ is in place here, but I still really enjoyed the film.

Rating: 3,5 / 5

50 Books Challenge 2011 - # 1: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Title: The Lovely Bones
Author: Alice Sebold
Story: Susie Salmon is a teenage girl who, after being raped and murdered, watches from Heaven as her family and friends struggle to move on with their lives while she comes to terms with her own death.
Start: january 1th 2011
End: january 3rd 2011
Comments: Beautiful story and very well written. Sebold really did a good job telling the story from Susie's point of view. Sometimes I had to put the book down, because it was a little too much. For instance the part where Susie gets murdered. Heavy stuff. I didn't like what happened to Mr. Harvey at the end. Too abrupt, but that's the only critical note. Overall it was a fantastic book.
Rating: 4,5/ 5

New books

I recently ordered some books and I got them in the mail today. I have a lot of books to read, so I'll have to wait to read those. But here's what I got:

- "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert: It's a true story about Liz Gilbert, who has everything she could ever dream about: a husband, a house and a succesfull career. Yet like so many others, she found herself lost, confused, and searching for what she really wanted in life. Newly divorced and at a crossroads, Gilbert steps out of her comfort zone, risking everything to change her life, embarking on a journey around the world that becomes a quest for self-discovery. In her travels, she discovers the true pleasure of nourishment by eating in Italy; the power of prayer in India, and, finally and unexpectedly, the inner peace and balance of true love in Bali. There's also a movie coming out, with Julia Roberts but I want to read the book before I go see the movie.

- "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger: Henry DeTamble has a genetic anomaly that allows him to travel in time; however, he is not able to control the moment or the destiny of his voyages. When the stranger Clare Abshire meets him in the library, she invites him to have dinner with her, where she confesses that she has been in love with him since she was six years old. Henry learns that he had visited her many times in the real state of her parents and he falls in love with her. Sooner they get married, but the life of Clare becomes troubled with the successive unexpected travels of her beloved husband. I've seen the movie with Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana, which I loved, and I didn't know it was a book until after I saw the movie. So that made me want to read the book.

- "The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold: Susie Salmon is a 14-year-old girl who gets murdered by her neighbour Mr. Harvey. She tells the story from heaven and sees how her family tries to move on or is still trying to deal with Susie's death. I also saw this movie, but I wanted to read the book anyway.

Can't wait to start reading those, but like I said there's a pile waiting for me. So, lots of reading to do in my summer vacation!!