Privilege, by Kate Brian (series)

Privilege (series) by Kate Brian
Publication: 2008-2011 by Simon & Schuster
Genre: Thriller, Crime, Society, Romance

Ariana Osgood ruled exclusive Easton Academy -- until she was arrested for murdering her classmate, Thomas Pearson. Following that, she lived in a correctional from which she escaped. Assuming the persona of a teenage socialite, Ariana worked to getting back to a high position in society, resorting to all kinds of crime until her life hit a full stop.

Okay, six books condensed into one review because it is one continuous series without any gaps at all and one single great story. I've been delaying reviewing this, because after all, how do you review a series about a psychotic teenage serial killer and leave a final comment saying that you loved it? Kate Brian had herself said that she couldn't believe she had written the Privilege series based on the life and lies of Ariana Osgood, murderess. But don't let that turn you off - this is one absolutely addictive, absolutely heart-racing set of books.

I have to admit that I haven't read the Private series by Kate Brian, of which Privilege is a spin-off. Private is quite long and does not have as much of a great summary as Privilege. Even after I started, I didn't feel much of a need to read Private. Brian had that going for her: anyone can read anything, regardless of whether they've read previous books or not. At least, that's what I feel. I may be wrong.

(I won't be giving out spoilers in this review, so it won't be a very long one. Instead, I'm going to comment on what worked and what didn't.)

Firstly, Ariana was such a GOOD character. Yes, I know I'm talking about someone who's killed many in cold blood. But she's just so good! I can figure with her so well. Doesn't mean I'm going to kill anyone, but you know. Pshh. Her thoughts were realistic, and she became one of my guilty pleasure characters faster than you can say the ABC.

The other characters were great as well, no doubt. I found myself pissed with her first boyfriend right from the start (he's so insignificant to me that I actually forgot his name) but Jasper was very good. Ariana's school friends were some well-sketched characters, too. The villain for majority of the books was a very, very good villain - a pure tormentor rather than a perceived one. 

I found that in the book, the portrayal of friendships was quite spot-on, and though the plotline for most part was quite unrealistic, there was small details like this that were very, very realistic and human. The writing is reminiscent of Cecily von Ziegesar, at least a bit and I can't say that's not expected because she was the original writer of privileged teen schools. Maybe a more serious outlook would have done and again, reminiscent of CvZ, there was detail provided to unnecessary (for me) things such as dresses and accessories. Maybe a little more tweaking and this series would have been a set of thrilling teenage satires.

There were a few continuity errors here and there, which I'm told were also the main flaws in the Private series. Kate Brian really should've gone through her previous books before starting her next, because such errors are really annoying and show inexperience on the part of the writer.

My favourite novel in this series was most probably number 4, Sweet Deceit. My least favourite... probably the one after that. Huh. Also, after I finished the last book, I really felt like killing Brian because I wanted Ariana and Jasper to be happy and for the series to have a different end than it did. I know, wrong-doers deserve to be punished, anti-heroines like Ariana included - but how many times have the criminals tricked the law enforcers into their own happily-ever-after? I've seen Special 26 and American Hustle; I know it happens tons of times. Kate Brian should've written a nice, happy ending for fans of Privilege and Ariana and not only Reed-fans from Private. I like to pretend that what happened at the end didn't and whatever Ariana had planned, did. Hmph.

This series is close to being my guilty pleasure, and I would recommend it to girls who don't mind Gossip Girl and the like and also don't mind murder.

Overall rating: Four out of five. (4/5)

Final comment: Six absolutely addictive reads.

Transcendence, 2014

Transcendence — 2014
Starring: Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Kate Mara, Paul Bettany
Genre: Science Fiction, Romance

Transcendence tells the story of artificial intelligence researchers reaching their ultimate goal while being opposed by technophobic terrorists, and a love story akin to Spike Jonze' Her in which a human is in love with someone who exists only on the screen.

Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, a lot of Christopher Nolan people, science fiction, a bloody brilliant premise and a heart-warming ending - nothing could go wrong, right?

Wrong.

Transcendence just didn't work. It had all the machinery of Inception, but the last push from Oscar-winning cinematographer-turned-director Wally Pfister was not enough. It was alright, but nothing as extraordinary as the trailers and the previews promised.

I thought personally that Johnny Depp was amazing; probably the best component of this apocalyptic movie. I loved his acting right from the start: in the garden, the lecture, getting shot, getting uploaded and everything henceforth until the very end. Rebecca Hall was pretty good - some of her scenes provided a lot of emotional depth, such as "Shut it DOWN? It's HIM!" which was a part of one of the trailers and one of the scenes I anticipated watching.

The other actors were, frankly, just there, like they didn't have much significance in the movie. Kate Mara being the exception of course - she never fails to surprise me, and this time as well her screen presence was well-appreciated. Paul Bettany and Cillian Murphy were definitely not up to the mark. Morgan Freeman was alright; nowhere as good as in his other movies - in fact, the dialogues confused me so much that I realised after intermission that his character (Joe) was an FBI agent and not an AI researcher! Which brings us to screenplay: I did not like it. This was probably one of the reasons I had a mixed view of Transcendence. The dialogues were all over the place; I had no idea what was going on a few times. 

I loved the premise, I really liked it. The ending tried to redeem the movie and came close but unfortunately, failed. It was probably the most heart-wrenching and emotional scene in the entire movie. This is why I rate the movie higher than I should.

The message given was also not too bad: basically, to fear technology and what it can do. In fact, it was a good one.

There was a lot more stuff that I liked and didn't, but as a regular reader pointed out, I tend to give out spoilers so I won't. All you need to know is that this was an alright movie that should've worked but didn't and could've been way better than it was.

Overall rating: Three out of five stars (3/5)

Final comment: A one-time watch - that is, unless it is your guilty pleasure.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier, 2014

Captain America: The Winter Soldier — 2014

Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Robert Redford, Emily VanCamp, Hayley Atwell, Cobie Smulders

Genre: Superhero, Action, Science Fiction

Captain America: The Winter Soldier reintroduces the eponymous super-soldier Steve Rogers with super-spy and co-Avenger, Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff, as they prevent the hostile takeover of government body S.H.I.E.L.D. by high-ranking operative Alexander Pierce and a ghost from the Captain's past, the Winter Soldier, alongside Director Nick Fury, ex-militant Sam Wilson and Commander Maria Hill.

There was a lot I expected from this movie, and for a major part, it did deliver.

I am a follower and admirer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having been with it through the, uh, disappointment that was Thor: The Dark World as well as the lesser known The Incredible Hulk (the one with Edward Norton). I also watch (rather obsessively, my mother would like to say) the in-universe TV show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. that features prominent agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) in a lead role and has had appearances from Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander) in the past among others. Thus, I was heavily looking forward to Cap 2. AoS had provided a lot of background to this movie - with the reveal of the Clairvoyant being a part of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the AoS: Uprising trailer. And this was everything that had been promised - and even more, in some places.

There was light comedy in a lot of scenes which I appreciated heavily. Black Widow's recurring resolve to find the Cap a date were successful in getting a smile on everyone's faces. Speaking of - the acting was quite great, too. Chris Evans was charismatic and made his presence felt as always, especially in the largely anticipated elevator fight scene. That was probably one of the most memorable moments in the movie at large. I am not lying when I say that tears slid down my face in the most heart-breaking scene in any Marvel movie: an aged Peggy Carter, portrayed by a wonderful Hayley Atwell and the Captain at the hospital. The out-of-time romance, the affection gone wrong. I'm a sickler for that stuff, and this was probably the best variant of that story arc since the Doctor and River Song's out of sync meetings in Doctor Who. But I digress. The point is, this movie has such human portrayals of our superheroes and supporting characters that it deserves to be applauded.

Have I ever mentioned how good Scarlett Johansson really is as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow? Because she is. She is pretty damn good, and I'm not saying that because she kicks ass and is basically a badass female lead: Johansson is another actor giving the humanity to her character while maintaining her image for most part. Unlike, say, Caity Lotz in the DC TV show Arrow, there is so much to Natasha. She deserves her own movie, if not movie series.

Rounding up the cast: Anthony Mackie makes a brilliant Falcon. Sam Wilson and the Captain have some great chemistry, because Chris Evans and Mackie are splendid together. Forgetting the part where we're supposed to believe that Nick Fury is dead, Samuel L. Jackson had a lot of screentime and you can see him make the most of it. The one-eyed Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. is explored much more than in previous films and that makes a lot of difference.

Robert Redford is...decent. I'm not going to say amazing, because I did find myself rolling my eyes at his acting - which despite being good, was a tiny bit cliched. The reveal of him being the main villain was both expected from the minute he was introduced, and bland. Frank Grillo's role as a sidekick baddie was also pretty mediocre - I couldn't care less about him. Meh.

Watching Cobie Smulders as a no-nonsense spy in-charge of a whole branch of S.H.I.E.L.D. after watching her in the How I Met Your Mother finale was different. I am not a huge follower of HIMYM, let me tell you, but I really liked Smulder's acting in this. Maria Hill was another of the great female heroines in this alongside Agent 13/Kate/Sharon Carter - Revenge's Emily VanCamp in a small but delightful role.

Now, the negatives laced with some good aspects: firstly, SEBASTIAN STAN. Ring a bell? This dude was supposed to portray the MAJOR VILLAIN. Who is the movie named after, huh? Huh? 

The Winter Soldier is nothing more than a highly underused, predictable subplot. Sebastian Stan does a great job as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, yet I can't find myself forgiving the makers of the movie. Except for the scenes with the Captain, I can't say there was much to him. Huge disappointment there.

Secondly, I think with the objective of satisfying action movie fans, the Russo brothers put a liiitle bit too much of it in there. Fight scene, conclucion. Blink, flight scene, conclusion. That was most of the movie. It wasn't unmoving, but a lot of those scenes probably weren't required.

I loved the easter egg for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. fans that was the appearance of Maximilliano Hernandez as Jasper Sitwell. Yes, the guy who declared the Cap and Black Widow as fugitives has been in AoS and has been quite the butt of jokes there. So it was a welcome surprise for me, as well as a bit of relief on finding out that he was a baddie since I didn't like him very much.

Captain America: The Winter Solider was pretty much what everyone expected: imperfect, but pretty damn amazing. This leaves me looking forward to the future episodes of AoS, Guardians of the Galaxy in August, Avengers: Age of Ultron next year and of course, Captain America 3 in May 2016 (which I'm sure will feature the real and final end of HYDRA).

Overall rating: Four out of five stars (4/5)

Final comment: Must-watch.

Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters, 2013

Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters — 2013

Starring: Logan Lerman, Stanley Tucci, Leven Rambin, Alexandra Daddario, Brandon T. Jackson, Jake Abel, Anthony Head, Nathan Fillion

Genre: Fantasy, Mythology, Adventure

Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters continues the adventures of demigod Percy Jackson and his friends, as they search for the Golden Fleece at the Sea of Monsters.

Uh...so let me admit that after the disaster that was Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief (the first movie in the series, also starring Lerman, Daddario, Jackson and Abel with Pierce Brosnan, Uma Thurman and Rosario Dawson among others), I did not expect much from The Sea of Monsters. Thus, I did not come out particularly disappointed.

I write this review after having heard the news that Logan Lerman would not be returning for the third movie and in all likelihood, a third movie would not be made. Knowing this, I can safely say that SoM was wrapped up well - the franchise could end if it was wanted to, and continue if so. Thor Freudenthal, the director, had his work cut out for him after Christopher Columbus messed up the foundation of the series in The Lightning Thief. He did not do so bad, frankly.

The thing is, SoM wasn't a very bad sequel of LT. It was quite a good one, actually. The two movies if taken separately from the book series are very good, too. Unfortunately, they are adapted from the books and that's where everything goes wrong.

SoM (the movie) was way more entertaining than the book it was adapted from, so there it earns an extra point. Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario and Brandon T. Jackson all did well. Seeing Anthony Head as Chiron (replacing Pierce Brosnan from the first movie) wasn't too bad either, from a fan of his work on Merlin and Doctor Who. Nathan Fillion as Hermes (replacing Dylan Neal) was GREAT, probably one of the best things in the movie. Leven Rambin gave a solid performance as Clarisse. So I have no issues with casting.

The movie on a whole, however, just felt a bit...bland. Like it was missing something. The creative liberties taken bothered me a lot, so that was probably why I didn't like SoM a lot. I couldn't wait for the movie to get over at times - the climax was highly slow-moving in my opinion, and lacked heart-racing moments. I found myself impatient for the next scene so many damn times.

It was certainly a good effort, but the output wasn't quite so brilliant.

Overall rating: Two and a half out of five stars (2.5/5)

Final comment: I'm sure I won't voluntarily see it a second time.

An Abundance of Katherines, by John Green

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Publication: Sept 21st 2006 by Dutton Juvenile
Genre: Adventure, Romance, Coming of Age

When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type happens to be girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact.

On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun--but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl. Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself.

I've been meaning to read AAoK for a while now - I first tried John Green's The Fault in Our Stars and did not like it much, but was promised that this was better. And it was. Boy, it was.

First, I loved how authentic the book was, as if it had really been written by a prodigy - complete with footnotes, nerd references, complicated (but meaningful) diagrams and an appendix (ASDFGHJKL). The premise of the story was admittedly unrealistic - who even has nineteen ex-girlfriends called Katherine?! But that was how it was marketed so I'm not going to critique that. This was, in every essence, a surreal yet so very real account of life through the eyes of someone we don't get to meet everyday.

I know quite some borderline prodigies and I could tell that Colin was just like them. Everything he did was characteristic of him, and I had no qualms about his background. He did whine a bit much about K-19, but boys do tend to whine a lot (no offense!). Hassan, on the other hand, was a bit of a confusing character for me. He is a Muslim, and hasn't bothered with relationships at all. Yet, he gives his vows away for this random chick in Gutshot, Tennessee and that is absolutely ridiculous. Who even does that?! Hassan was whatever Green wanted him to be, and frankly that kinda annoyed me. 

Lindsey Lee Wells is a book character that I can figure with. Completely, totally figure with. I won't go much into detail, but despite there being negative comments about her on Goodreads and other sites, she IS realistic. Girls like her do exist, they're just less in number. Remember that.

Now coming to the part I loved the most: THE MATH! Yes, I know I'm a nerd, but it was just so COOL! I haven't yet had the opportunity to try the formula yet, but I LOVED the math in this book. It added a dimension and a sense of reality to AAoK and enhanced the way I looked at the book and at John Green. I know people who read this book because of the math and loved it to pieces. The appendix was fabulous, thanks to ex-senator Daniel Biss (whose theories are fab, btw). To actually show that Colin's math makes sense is not only a feat, but also an acheievement. As a math lover, this book appealed to me more than it would if there hadn't been any theorems or bell curves.

I have read plenty of bad reviews about this book, and I can't say I agree with most of them. Whatever they disliked, I ended up liking; can't help that. I loved the anagrams quirk and found it a cute little subplot, just like the whole Franz Ferdinand subplot. Colin and Lindsey's worries and their moments were so realistic, I didn't whether to smile or cry. All in all, AAoK is a lovely book.

Overall rating: Four out of five stars (4/5)

Final comment: Completely worth the money.

Pitch Perfect, 2012

Pitch Perfect — 2012
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Hana Mae Lee, Rebel Wilson, Elizabeth Banks
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Musical

Pitch Perfect follows an all-female collegiate a capella group from underdogs to unlikely winners in the international championships.

Oh my goodness. I will never forgive myself for watching this movie two years late, because I absolutely goddamn loved it. I saw it two and a half times in a week and by now I know most of the dialogue and lyrics off by heart. This is a bloody addictive movie.

I classify this as my biggest guilty pleasure yet. While some may say that Pitch Perfect is nothing but a feature-film version of the Fox tv show Glee, let's all just agree to disagree. They are wrong. Glee is far more cult than Pitch Perfect and personally, far too dramatic and stretched. This movie is the perfect length and the drama is amusing yet not over-the-top. The perfect in-between (pun intended).

The acting is good. Skylar Astin and Anna Kendrick look so attracted to each other you'd believe they're actually married. Brittany Snow and Anna Camp round up the supporting cast greatly, alongside Hana Mae Lee, Adam DeVine, Ben Platt and of course, Christopher Mintz-Plasse. Great work there. However, there's one supporting actor I haven't mentioned: Rebel Wilson. What do you say about Rebel Wilson? I cannot describe her performance in words! Her Tasmanian character is the funniest, most comedic member of the Bellas and suffice to say, Wilson nailed the characterization. The one-liners are fantastically fitting. Wilson is amazing as Fat Amy/Patricia.

The script manages to be funny and dramatic yet serious, which is great. The thing I probably loved most was the music - every minute of it, including the Riff-Off and The Sign/Eternal Flame/Turn the Beat Around. If you like the movie, you get the soundtrack. I promise you - no regrets. It got me addicted to High Highs' Open Season, which by the way is featured perfectly in the movie. That scene is barely short of heartbreaking.

I loved Pitch Perfect. But while it is less of a cult/fangirl presentation than Glee, it is still one. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. Like I said - guilty pleasure. Not favourite movie of all time. Don't get me wrong, I love the movie. It's just that I can't see everyone else loving it like I do. It lacks in the general public appreciation department.

Overall rating: Four out of five stars (4/5)

Final comment: Definitely #1 guilty pleasure.

Let It Snow, by Maureen Johnson, John Green & Lauren Myracle

Let It Snow: Three Holiday Stories by Maureen Johnson, John Green & Lauren Myracle
Publication: Oct 2nd 2008 by Speak
Genre: Chick-Lit, Festive, Romance

Sparkling white snowdrifts, beautiful presents wrapped in ribbons, and multicolored lights glittering in the night through the falling snow. A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you see only in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks. Thanks to three of today’s bestselling teen authors—John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle—the magic of the holidays shines on these hilarious and charming interconnected tales of love, romance, and breathtaking kisses.

I saw this book at a local bookstore and wasn't too interested. I'd never heard of Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle, and I was tired of John Green's cliched writing. However, I was desperately in need of a decent-if-not-perfect book with an easily available illegal ePub. Thus I decided to read Let It Snow.

My review probably has nothing different from other reviews of this book – it started out very, very strong. Maureen Johnson's contribution, The Jubilee Express, was a delightful short story that expressed both, love and the whole meaning of festivals. I could find myself  playing this story in my head: the characters were really, really good. Jubilee and Stuart were really good, and I found myself fond of Jubilee's Flobie Five parents though we didn't see much of them. Debbie was a great character, and I could just hear Rachel's voice wring through my ears. This was realistic and just really good. Made me want to read more of Maureen Johnson.

I didn't have high hopes when I started reading Cheertastic Christmas Miracle, John Green's part. There is nothing new in what he writes – same old nerdy-but-cute guy, slightly tomboyish girl and the typical best friend. And how could I forget – THE CLASSIC ROADTRIP! I got exactly what I expected. All of that. However, I found it slightly more endearing than the pity fest of The Fault in Our Stars or the sleep-inducing 'mystery' of Looking For Alaska. Angie and Tobin were, albeit repetitive, good characters. I could see myself in Angie. The little touch of Jeb, Keun, Tinfoil Guy and Stuart from the first story added nice continuity. The last sentence of the story reminded me far too much of Tim Tharp's The Spectacular Now – which was the first book I read this year and has a strange place in my heart – but other than that, it was wrapped up well. It wasn't fabulous, but it was decent. I didn't end up hating John Green at least. 

Addie from Lauren Myracle's concluding short story, with a title to do with pigs (can't remember the name), had been mentioned briefly in both the earlier stories. So subtly that you wouldn't even remember her. However, her love interest Jeb had dialogues in the same stories and it all seemed to connect together in the end. I loved how the eight-year-old girls who got Jubilee's phone in the first story showed up here, too. It was amusing to find Tegan trying to figure out why they had called Addie as a reader who knew exactly what was going on. Then Tobin and Angie from John Green's story made an appearance and everything seemed to be tying up. That was all good. What I disliked, however, was the premise of the story. Addie was a self-consumed whinny brat, and the whole point of the story was her proving to others that she wasn't one. That happened, sure. But the whole method of getting there made me yawn. The characters were bland; I found myself skipping paragraphs on paragraphs because they were plain boring. It was a poor conclusion. My favourite part of it all was the last few pages, because that's where everyone came together and the feeling of Christmas was invoked. I liked that part. It made the last story at least satisfying.

Overall, it needed a bit more tinkering on Lauren Myracle's part. Otherwise it would have been a really good Christmas collection, something from a movie instead of a TV special. I liked it a lot, I guess it just could've done better.

Overall rating: Four out of five stars (4/5)

Final comment: Good read, recommended for holiday reading.