Whether or not a book can really be done justice on the big screen is always a source for an argument.

Baz Luhrmann tried to prove people wrong when he took on the great American classic, The Great Gatsby, and brought it to the big screen.

The hugely renowned classic over the years has been turned into a Broadway classic, and has had several film adaptions.

Back in 2008 it was announced that a new film adaptation was to be made. With unexpected delays the movie made its way to the screen on May 10^th 2013.

According to Box Office Mojo in its opening weekend the movie was able to bring in over 50 million dollars. And now it sits in tenth place for best romantic drama movie.

The weekend it came out all across the country there were Gatsby parties in celebration for the new release.

Leonardo DiCaprio, playing Jay Gatsby, graced the screen with what many referred to as an impeccable adaption of Gatsby and his story.

Tobey Maguire best known for his appearance as Spiderman took on the role of Nick Carraway.  Throughout the movie the audience sees the growing friendship between Nick and Gatsby. Both Maguire and DiCaprio showed the close bond the two form in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous work.

The biggest difference between Luhrmann’s adaption compared to the others in the past is it can now be seen in 3D as well as normal 2D.

While Luhrmann used his own creative license with the famous story he still stayed close to the book. With little changes from the original story he was able to embrace the classic in a new way while leaving the most loved characteristics about the story to remain.

What many said would be the toughest thing about turning the book into a movie was how Fitzgerald tells the story through the eyes of Nick looking back. A majority of the story is told through internal dialogue.

Luhrmann clasped onto this idea and through the use of voice over and different techniques he was able to still tell the story through the internal dialogue of Nick’s character.

Luhrmann took a beloved story and brought it to life in a way that is different than ever before.

A book and a movie will never be completely one in the same because each has so many different things to offer.

But Luhrmann was able to take the great American classic and make it new again for the entire world to see.

With a rating of 4 out of 5 stars this movie is one that is not meant to be missed.

On Sunday, February 24^th the 85^th annual Academy Awards were kicked off by host Seth McFarland, a comedian and creator of the popular show Family Guy.

Arguably the most prestigious award of the night-Best Picture, went to Argo, directed and produced by Ben Affleck. After a huge snub by the Academy when Affleck was not nominated for a Best Director award, this victory was, to many, the defining moment in his directing career despite him not being nominated.

That night was a night of firsts. Daniel Day Lewis became the only actor ever to win three awards for Best Actor. And Jennifer Lawrence took home the award for Best Actress, the second youngest person to ever win the award. Quvenzhane Wallis, a nine-year-old, was the youngest person ever to be nominated for Best Actress for her role in Beasts of the Southern Wild.

Anne Hathaway won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Fantine in Les Miserables, and Christoph Waltz took home Best Supporting actor for his role in Django Unchained.

Best Animated feature went to Brave, and Best Animated Short Film went to Paperman.  Searching For Sugarman won for best Documentary, and Amour won for Best Foreign Language Film.

Life of Pi won the most awards of the night with a total of four, closely followed by Les Miserables and Argo with three awards, and Django Unchained, Lincoln, and Skyfall, all won two awards each.

Upcoming movies to look forward to in 2013 are: Oz the Great and Powerful by Walt Disney Pictures, Jack the Giant Slayer by Warner Bros./New Line Cinema, The Croods by 20^th Century Fox/Dreamworks animation, Iron Man 3 by Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Pictures, and The Great Gatsby by Warner Bros.

Sunday, February 10^th the 55^th annual Grammy Awards were presented by two-time host and Grammy award winner LL Cool J.

Some highlights of the night included Gotye and Kimbra winning Record of the Year for “Somebody That I Used to Know”, becoming the second Australian and first New Zealand act to win the award. Dan Auerbatch won the most number of awards with four (including three as part of The Black Keys). Other multiple winners include Fun: who won Song of the Year as well as Best New Artist—which angered many loyal fans because of the bands extensive 12-year career.

Kelly Clarkson won The Best Pop Vocal Album for Stronger, becoming the first and only artist to win the award twice. Mumford and sons took home Album of the Year for “Babel”.

The recording Academy introduced three new categories to the 78 awards already in place, including Best Classical Compendium, Best Latin Jazz Album, and Best Urban Contemporary Album, bringing it to a total of 81 awards

Another feature at the Grammy Awards was the tribute to Reggae legend Bob Marley, which included Bruno Mars, Rihanna, and Ziggy Marley.

One of the most anticipated events of the night was Justin Timberlake’s return to music. He opened with his recently released song “Suit & Tie” before delivering two brand-new soul tunes for him upcoming album. His single “Mirrors” is available on iTunes now. His full album “The 20/20 Experience” is expected to be released March 19.

In the words of Hazel Lancaster, the main character of The Fault in Our Stars, cancer books suck.

And I have to agree with that. No matter how amazing a book is, the minute the word cancer comes up it automatically sucks.

That’s why the #1 New York Times bestseller The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is honestly the best horrible book I have ever read.

Hazel Lancaster is sixteen and has cancer. Throughout the novel, she makes it very clear that she is dying. Her rare form of cancer causes her lungs to “suck at being lungs.”

She has accepted the fact that her cancer will kill her, and this makes her brutally honest about the illness.

Hazel is content to spend the rest of her time at home watching America’s Next Top Model, but her parents think otherwise. They think that Hazel needs to actually live her life, which is why they make her join a support group for kids with cancer.

It is at this support group that she meets Augustus Waters: a gorgeous, intelligent cancer survivor.

Hazel’s life suddenly becomes more twisted then ever before, as she falls head over heels in love with Augustus Waters.

With her new relationship also comes an experience that Hazel never thought she would be able to have. She goes out, makes friends, and for the first time in years actually lives her life.

The Fault in Our Stars is a must read. You will laugh, cry, laugh while you cry and by the time you finish this book you will be ultimately inspired.

I suggest that this week, you get your hands on a copy of The Fault in Our Stars and settle down with a box of tissues for a few hours, because once you start reading this book it will be impossible to put down. It will be the best horrible book you have ever read.

Everyone knows how Zero Dark Thirty ends, with seal team six killing Osama Bin Laden. However, it is the events that lead up to this fantastic event that really make the movie.

The film begins with the heart-wrenching sounds of 9/11 victims calling out for help, or calling their families to say that they love them. This effectively desensitizes the audience for what comes next—twenty minutes of grisly torture scenes, which create an over-all feeling of discomfort within the theater.

The movie spans out primarily from the beginning of the Iraq War, until 2011, following Maya, a CIA officer, as she is assigned to the task of interrogating Saudi terrorists for information about Osama Bin Laden.

The whole film is a complex game of cat-and-mouse, only with a massively predictable outcome. Despite this, Academy Award winning director Kathryn Bigelow manages to keep our blood pressure nice and high throughout most of the movie.

One particular short-coming of Zero Dark Thirty was it’s incredibly fast-pace plot, which is usually a positive, but when you’re trying to remember dozens of foreign names and places, as well as their importance, things can get complicated. Language plays a huge role in this movie, that is, if you’re comfortable hearing the F-bomb every few minutes.

Despite these minor flaws, overall Zero Dark Thirty is a compelling film with great character development. At the very end of the movie Jessica Chastain really secures her place as a serious actor, and her adaptation of her role really comes into play.

Zero Dark Thirty is surrounded by controversy because of it’s incredibly graphic nature, and information. Many people are upset because of its pro-torture stance, and the allegation that the producers allegedly obtained improper access to classified material from the U.S. government.

Despite this, the movie has been nominated for and also won several awards. In total the film was nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Original Screenplay. Zero Dark Thirty was also nominated for four Golden Globes including Best Motion Picture-Drama, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Actress, which Chastain won.

Zero Dark Thirty was a riveting film that deserves its various acclamations, and will be remembered for years to come.

In the new movie Silver Linings Playbook, Pat Solitano’s, life isn’t going exactly as planned.

After losing his cool one afternoon he was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and Pat, played by Bradley Cooper, ended up spending 8 months in a mental institution.

Now Pat is back home, living with his parents, and trying to win back his wife, his job and his life.

Which is easier said than done, considering Pat is still trying to overcome his disorder.

Pat’s parents want him to be healthy first and foremost, and they think that sharing in their family love of the Philadelphia Eagles Football Team once again will help Pat conquer his disorder.

But all Pat wants is to get his wife back

Until he gets to know Tiffany, played by Jennifer Lawrence, a girl with problems of her own who just so happens to be able to help Pat reconnect with his wife.

That is, if Pat can help her by becoming her ballroom dancing partner.

The more time Tiffany and Pat spend together, the more silver linings seem to appear in both of their lives.

Silver Linings Playbook has become an instant hit among audiences everywhere, as shown by the 8 Academy Award nominations that the movie has received.

Jennifer Lawrence has also proved that she will not be known as just Katniss from The Hunger Game, seeing as she has won a Golden Globe and a SAG Award both for Best Female Actor for her performance in Silver Linings.  

The movie deserves every acclamation it has received.

Silver Linings Playbook is a touching, yet funny, drama about family, love and overcoming obstacles that never seemed breakable.

Last stop until the Oscar’s! On Sunday, January 13^th the 70^th annual Golden Globe Awards were presented. This historic event was hosted by the dynamic comedy duo Tiny Fey and Amy Poehler.

Many believe that the Golden Globes are ways of predicting coming Oscar winner’s, however there were a few surprises.

Best Motion Picture, Drama, went to Argo, which shocked many people, who believed the critically-acclaimed-twelve-Oscar-nominee Lincoln was sure to clean house. Ben Affleck also won Best Director, beating pros like Stephan Spielberg. Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical, went to Les Miserables (no shock there). In fact, the cast of Les Miserables had quite a fantastic night, with Hugh Jackman winning Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy, or Musical, and Anne Hathaway winning Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture.  Best Actor and Actress in a Motion Picture went to Daniel Day Lewis (Lincoln), and Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty).

In television: Best TV Series, Drama, went to Homeland, Comedy went to Girls, and TV Movie or Miniseries went to Game Change. Homeland had some very successful wins with Damian Lewis winning Best Actor in a TV series, Drama, and Claire Danes, winning Best Actress in a TV series Drama, both actors from Homeland.

To get the full details on all the awards and stars go to http://www.eonline.com/news/378135/2013-golden-globes-winners-the-complete-list

You know what they say…everyone’s a critic. And that was certainly true Thursday, January 10 when the 18^th annual Critic’s Choice Awards was kicked off, hosted by Sam Rubin.

The movie Lincoln received a record setting 13 nominations for this year’s awards. However, the winner of best picture was Argo, directed by Ben Affleck. Affleck also took home an award for Best Director. This win seemed obvious, however when the nominees for the Oscars were announced, Affleck wasn’t nominated (ouch).  Aside from this major academy burn, Affleck was in good spirits all night, and jokingly “thanked the academy” when accepting his Critics Choice Award.

Daniel Day Lewis took home Best Actor for his role in Lincoln, and Best Actress was won by Jessica Chastain for her role as the leading lady in Zero Dark Thirty.  Some other highlights included Anne Hathaway winning Best Supporting Actress for Les Misérables, Skyfall winning Best Action Movie, as well as the always-awesome Jennifer Lawrence yet again winning two awards, one for Best Actress in a Comedy ( Silver Linings Playbook), and Best Actress in an Action Movie ( The Hunger Games).

To get the full details on all the awards and starts go to http://www.criticschoice.com/movie-awards/

Millions of fans worldwide finally got what they were waiting for on December 14^th, 2012 when The Hobbit movie finally came out. This long awaited prequel to the famed Lord of the Rings series exceeded expectations.

A lot of fans were disgruntled when they heard that The Hobbit was going to be three parts, considering the size of the book and the weight of its story as compared to The Lord of the Rings. This classic book series is the genius creation of WWII era British author J. R. R. Tolkien.  The books are more popular than ever with the new release of The Hobbit, due also to the hugely successful Lord of the Rings movies, directed by Peter Jackson and starring Elijah Wood. The Hobbit was also directed by Peter Jackson, and his unique camera angles and vision kept fans such as myself happy.

Most readers would agree that the Hobbit has a lighter, much less epic—though no less enjoyable—plot than the three Lord of the Rings books.It is about the adventures of one Hobbit and a troupe of Dwarves as the Dwarves seek to reclaim their lost land from a dangerous Dragon called Smaug. They must face Goblins, Wargs (evil, giant wolves), Trolls and much more just to arrive at the land of the Dragon.

This first part of The Hobbit, “An Unexpected Journey” only covered the beginning of the book, where a stuffy, respectable Hobbit named Bilbo who never did anything unexpected, and certainly never went on any preposterous adventures, has a bunch of strange Dwarves and one Wizard show up at his home and demand that he go on an adventure…which he does! And the adventure gets well underway in this movie. Thanks to the cinematic genius of Peter Jackson and everyone else involved, the film did appear to have a good conclusion and not just randomly end. There were even complaints (few) from non-fans (Fools. They must be Tooks.) who protested that the movie was too long, though, at 2 hours and 49 minutes it is a similar length to each of the three Lord of the Rings movies.

Even though there may have been less to cover, every scene was covered in astonishing detail, and little lines from the book that were important to the larger story were played up, but not overly. There was little deviation from the book, and as a mega-fan, I can say that none of it was bad.

Complaints from other reviewers have been that the film was too “herky jerky” and the zooming, turning, excellent camera angles made some people in New Zealand, where the film was filmed and premiered, sick, but I didn’t get that feeling at all. I did not see it in 3-D, though I heard it was excellent and very realistic. The motion-sickness complaints may have been from the 3-D version, because the regular film was excellent; take my word and millions of others for it.

It’s that time again. The time that all social media junkies love—awards season!

On January 9, 2013, the 39^th annual People’s Choice Awards was kicked off, hosted by The Big Bang Theory’s Kaley Cuoco,and what an exciting night it was, featuring stars like Robert Downey Jr., Jennifer Lawrence, and Jimmy Fallon. The big question on everyone’s mind was, “what’s going to win favorite movie?” After a much-anticipated wait, The Hunger Games triumphed overall. Jennifer Lawrence, who plays Katniss in The Hunger Games, also took Favorite Movie Actress, as well as Favorite Face of Heroism.

Other highlights of the night included: Robert Downey Jr., who took Favorite Movie Actor and Favorite Movie Superhero, Emma Watson winning Favorite Dramatic Movie Actress, and The Big Bang Theory winning Favorite TV Network Comedy.

For music awards, Katy Perry was the star of the night taking home awards for Favorite Music Fan Following, Favorite Music Video, Favorite Pop Artist, and Favorite Female Artist. Jason Mraz took home Favorite Male Artist also. Other highlights included One Direction winning Favorite Song and Favorite Album, as well as The Wanted taking home an award fort Favorite Breakout Artist.

To get the full details on all the awards and stars, go to http://www.peopleschoice.com/pca/awards/nominees/