Since I'm already here, I, the CARLMAN who brings balance to the Force, will and give my review first. Actually, I can sum my whole
review it up in two words--Not Bad. It wasn't a great movie and it wasn't terrible; it was good. There's a lot to like--lots of action, lots of monsters, and great effects, as you can see with the Hydra. All the stuff GUYS love in their movies! There were also a couple of things I didn't like as much. For instance, even though there was humor in the movie, there wasn't as much as there should have been. (even though Grover is really funny) And the final scenes with Percy and the Olympians was kinda lame. (I expected more tension between the gods and between Percy and Poseidon) But, overall, I enjoyed the movie and I think you would too. Worth seeing. I'd give it six or seven stars out of ten.
Now the big question is--IS THE MOVIE DIFFERENT FROM THE BOOK? Well, yeah. A lot different, in some places. But don't let that stop you. Movies and books are two inherently different media--which is a fancy way of saying that books and movies are very different and you can't expect them to be the same. So if you expect the movie to be a exact replica of the book, you'll be disappointed. But if you go in there and watch the movie on its own terms, you'll like it.
One more thing--I'm going to demand credit for scriptwriting!! I've been saying for years that a Percy Jackson story should take place in Nashville, Tennessee since it has a full-scale model of the Parthenon and is called "The Athens of the South." So where does the middle part of the movie take place? HUH??? I demand my cut!!! (and not with Riptide!)
Okay, Tis I Darth Bill, and I went and saw the movie Sunday. I really was expecting the worse from the reviews the movie received by the "experts" in the paper and media who said at best it was average. Also several people I know said it was lousy. Okay here is where I give my sermon on forming your own opinions. I can't tell you how many times I have seen books and movies reviewed by so called "experts" and my opinion has been totally different from their conclusions. Bottom line, form your own thoughts
Our good friend Michael, who sent us so many fantastic reviews over the holiday break, is back with a new one! Here it is:
The Original Choose Your Own Adventure, book 160
The Computer Takeover
by Edward Packard
It's the mid 21st century. You are a computers genius and work with different computers all over the world. One day you get a call from your friend Maria on the moon. She tells you that the computer that helps them run the moon, Acorn, is doing something extra. Late at night, Acorn is having the robots carry out an extra project. You think it's no big deal. Acorn did stuff like that sometimes. Once it made a laser shield around the moon for better protection against meteors. But then Maria tells you that it's not telling them what it is. That's a problem. Now you must make a choice. Do you go to the moon and deal with Acorn yourself? Do you go to the creator of Acorn, a frail, old scientist incapable of much travel, and who needs frequent naps? The choice is up to you. I personally chose to visit the scientist, and then I... well, I'm not telling you. You'll just have to read it for yourself. There are many other Choose Your Own Adventure books. The original series, the new series, and the younger kids series. So pick one up today!
Thanks, Michael! Your reviews are always great. The library has several of these Choose Your Own Adventure books--come on in and take a look.
Today is January 12. Do you know what that means? ONE MORE MONTH UNTIL THE LIGHTNING THIEF MOVIE!!! Woo-hooooo!! Are you guys as excited as I am?? Who's going to see it right away? Who's going to see it the first day? Who's going to Master Jedi Zack's Camp Half Blood program at the Matthews library? (see his post of 1-08 to find out more) One. More. Month!! Can't wait!!
Carl
Yes, folks, we have another friend from the Guys Read blog who has commented on our Lightning Thief movie game. It's Hacksaw Jim Duggan and he likes the choice for Ares:
Hey Andre,
I actually think I agree with you. I think it would be hilarious and perfect at the same time for Hulk Hogan to play Ares. I think he's the perfect one for the character. I don't know if I agree with the Charlie & the Chocolate Factory actor part, though. But, I don't have any suggestions for that, so you beat me out, there. I can't say anything about Annasofia becuase I've never seen her movies or films. Anyway, I like the Hulk Hogan idea!
Fellow Blogger,
Hacksaw Jim
PS Guys Read Forever!!!
Thanks, Jim. Wouldn't Hulk Hogan be great? I could just see him get mad at Percy Jackson and yell, "I'm going to get you, punk!" and then tear open his shirt!
Hey, wait a minute. All you guys who regularly write in---I'm waiting to hear from you on this game!!! I know some of you have read the Percy Jackson books. I know some of you would have ideas. So what gives?? What are you waiting for?? Let's hear it. Don't make me get mad and tear open my shirt!!!
Besides, it would be great if you wrote in to their blog. In fact, I'll lead by example. I read the latest post on the Guys Read blog. He's written about a fantasy book that sounds really good and is by an author who wrote a book I really liked, so I wrote a comment to them. Want to know what that book is? Go over to their blog and find out! It would be great if we got the two boy- book-blogging worlds together and started talking to each other. OK?
Carl
Boys Rule Boys Read Forever!
Hey, gang, one of our friends, Andre the Giant, from the Guys Read Blog has written to us about our Pick-the-Star-for-The-Lightning-Thief-Movie game. Let's hear it:
Hey guys, I'm from Guys Read and I really enjoyed the game. I think it would be interesting and pretty funny to see Hulk Hogan play Ares. Especially in the part where he is in the swordfight with Percy. I think it would be cool to see Freddie Highmore play Percy because of the poor and unaccomplished feeling he gives you in the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie, and Annasophia Robb as Annabeth because of her go-get-'em attitude you get from her on film. Thanks for making the cool blog!
I'm with you, Andre! I could see Hulk Hogan in the water, threatening Percy and slashing with that sword. I must confess that I haven't seen the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie, so I'm at a loss. Same thing with Annasophia Robb. Sound like good choices, though. All right, who else has some ideas?
Carl
Hey, guys, I'm in the mood for a game. I've been thinking about this for a while and decided to put it on the blog today. (Maybe because the Oscars were on last night) I'm sure everyone knows that Hollywood is going to make a movie of Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief. Chris Clolumbus, who directed the first Harry Potter movie, is going to make this one. So here's a game--if you were the director, who would you pick for the different parts? Now it has to be someone famous and someone who is now living, so we would know who you're talking about. OK?
Here are my picks. Keep in mind that I've been around a while and seen a lot of older movies, so these people may be more famous to me. Some of them haven't made many movies lately, but I still think they'd be great.
Dionysus--Danny DeVito. 
My first choice and, I think, a perfect choice. He's got that "don't bother me, you punk kids, I'm stuck here for 100 years" attitude that the D-man has in the books. Besides, he looks like a big satyr.
Poseidon--Jimmy Buffet.
Yeah, the singer. Some of you may not know him because his music is more for grownups, but I bet your moms and dads have have his music. This may seem like a weird choice, but think about it--he's got that laid back, good-time beach look that Poseidon has. But I bet he could be serious when he needs to, just as in the books.
Zeus--hard choice. You'd need someone who's mature, commands respect, and still seems able to incinerate you in a minute if you cross him. I'd pick Paul Newman
or Anthony Hopkins.
Ares--Hulk Hogan. 
Yes, the wrestler. I kept thinking of him while I read the books. He'd be great--big, loud, strong, aggressive, ready to squash you like a bug.
Hades--Alan Rickman, 
who was Snape in the Harry Potter movies. Capable of being scary yet funny (remember how funny it was when Hades complained of the traffic jams on the way to the underworld?) or Clint Eastwood. Now imagine him as a giant
immortal, sitting on the throne of the underworld. Brrr--makes me shiver!
Athena--Maggie Smith, 
who was Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies. She looks like the lady you couldn't fool because she knows everything.
Voice of Kronos--James Earl Jones, the voice of Darth Vader. Need I say more?
There are no prizes for this game--I just thought it would be fun. What do you think? Who would you choose?
Carl
How to Eat Fried Worms, by Thomas Rockweel, in print since 1973 and recently turned into a movie, is one of the 100 most challanged books in the United States, because it supposedly encourages “inappropriate behavior.” But how inappropriate eating fried worms really is? Well, that depends on your culinary preferences and where you are from. Whereas How To Eat Fried Worms shows how many expressions of disgust one can come up with when confronted with the idea or reality of eating slimy, crawly things, Men Eating Bugs: The Art and Science of Eating Insects, by the authors of Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, shows a wealth of primitive and contemporary insect-eating habits and recipes from thirteen different countries.
The fact that I recently found fried grasshoppers and Mexican maguey worms on the shelves of a food shop in San Francisco might be a sign that the western aversion to insects as food may be movig away from the usual ick! yuck! ugh!, though. But whether or not bug-eating becomes popular here and whether or not I’ll ever try insect cookery myself, I am getting the message: “respect the preferences of “others’ paletes.”
Check out this list of insect snacks from around the world. And to teach young ones how ‘yum!’ and ‘yuck!’ sound in other languages, Linda Sue Park, Sue Rama and Julia Durango’s Yum!Yuck! A Book of People’s Sounds is reccomended.
Nannah V here,
I took my two grandsons to see this movie. Jeffrey is almost 11 and Bruce is 6. They loved it! Now they want to read the book! They are also excited about the two movies they saw intros for. "Diary of a Whimpy Kid" & "The the Last Airbender". Jeffrey has read all of the Whimpy kid books and they are very big fans of the Airbender cartoon. Personally I agree, I wish the actors looked younger. I have a hard time believing that they were 13. They looked more like 16.
You guys hit most of my beefs with the movie: that Percy was 15 instead of 13, and that the consequent love interest story was more pronounced (really not in the book); that it just wasn't as funny, with Percy being rather flat in the movie and flat-out-funny in the books; that there were lots of changes from the book.
I was really hoping for a closer rendering of the book, because its really a great one. I'm concerned that they may not make future movies, just because the story lines in book 1 were truncated, especially the parts that are important for the future movies! But if the money's there, they probably will...
STILL, very worth seeing and a fun action flick. AND if it gets kids to read the book(s) - which we already have - then it's all good.
it left out my favorite part with echidna and the chimera.
giant fan of the books.
Yeah, I hated they left out that part too. And I hated they left out Ares and Mr. D. I still say they should have had Hulk Hogan for Ares and Danny Devito as Dionysis.