percy jackson: sea of monsters

Just in time for the holidays and any tween or teen gift-giving ideas comes the Blu-ray (+DVD and DigitalHD) of Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters. The film is a sequel to 2010's Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Akin to the Harry Potter series, the Percy Jackson books by author Rick Riordan follow a trio of intrepid teenagers who have special powers — they are the sons and daughters of the Greek Gods, or "half-bloods."

In the first film Percy (Logan Lerman) discovered that he was the son of Poseidon, god of the sea. This gives him some pretty nifty advantages — being able to stay under water for a really long time, having an ability to communicate with horses, and even being able to control water — a lot of water, if necessary. He also gained a nifty friend and protector of sorts, named Grover (Brandon T. Jackson), who happens to be a satyr. Grover brought him to Camp Half-Blood, which is a training ground for young demigods like Percy, where he met and befriended daughter of Athena, Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario).

The gang grabs the Golden Fleece: L-R: Tyson, Clarisse, Grover, Annabeth, and Percy

In Sea of Monsters Camp Half-Blood's safety is threatened by the trio's old nemesis Luke, a disgruntled son of Hermes who has decided to cast his lot with the Titan Cronus and overthrow the Greek gods. If this background sounds like a lot to take in, never fear. It is not really necessary to have read the books or seen the previous film to enjoy Sea of Monsters. The film does move quickly, but anyone with even a smattering of Greek mythology can enjoy the CGI renderings of a dangerous mechanical bull, a beautiful hippocampus (part horse, part fish) and a modern-day quest to recover the Golden Fleece, which happens to be held in the Sea of Monsters, which, amusingly, is smack-dab in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle along with the monsters Scylla and Charybdis.

The three young leads have a great rapport, and are helped this time out by some new and familiar faces. Leven Rambin joins the cast as Clarisse, a daughter of Ares, and Percy's main competitor at camp. Another new face is Douglas Smith as Tyson, Percy's newly-discovered half-brother, who also happens to be a Cyclops. Smith is quite touching and funny, and sure to become a fan favorite. Two of the disk's extras center on his character, a "Tyson Motion Comic," which shows how Tyson came to Camp Half-blood, and "It’s All in the Eye," a behind-the-scenes look at how make-up and CGI helped create his character's one-eyed look.

Tyson introduces Percy and Annabeth to a hippocampus

The Blu-ray is in widescreen (2.40:1) format and looks great on a large-scale, high-definition television screen. Colors and shadows are sharp. The sound quality  is also good, with subtitles available in English (DTS-HD-MA), French (5.1 DTS), and Spanish (5.1 DD), as well as closed captioning. The film has a running time of 107 minutes.

Some of the best set pieces, which combine teen angst with mythological creatures, include Percy's visit with the Oracle to discover his quest, a watery ride on a hippocampus, and a fun visit to Hermes (Nathan Fillion), who runs an Olympian message and package deliver service that may seem familiar to regular non-demigod folks. Fillion even manages to get in a joke that references his canceled cult series Firefly.

Hermes hands Percy a thermos which contains the four winds, a gift that is sure to come in handy on their quest, "Here, you'll need this." 

Percy reads the label on the thermos, confused, "What's this? 'Hercules Beat 'Em?'" 

Hermes, "Yeah, it's based on a TV show. Pretty much the greatest TV show of all time. So of course they cancelled it after one season."

Hermes offers the kids some helpful advice

Other familiar faces that round out the cast include Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games, Big Night) as Dionysus, who as a punishment from Zeus has been made the head of Camp Half-Blood; Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Merlin) as Chiron, Percy's wise and kind centaur mentor (played by Pierce Brosnan in the first film); and as a trio of witches called the Graeae, who share one eye and drive a New York City cab — Missi Pyle (Galaxy Quest , Bringing Down the House), Yvette Nicole Brown, and Mary Birdsong.

Annabeth, "It's a Chariot of Damnation." 

Grover, "Looks like a New York City cab." 

Annabeth, "Same difference."

Apart from its teen appeal, what really makes this second installment in the Percy Jackson series so enjoyable is its sense of humor. Combined with all of the monsters, bravery, and mayhem, the film is fun and moves quickly. 20th Century Fox is rumored to have a third film in the works, to be set for a 2015 release, based on the third book in the series, The Titan's Curse. It is not yet confirmed whether Sea Of Monsters director Thor Freudenthal (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Hotel for Dogs) will also helm the project, but Sea of Monsters did well at the box-office, grossing more than $200 million worldwide, so it looks like fans can get set to enjoy more danger and adventure to befall Percy and his friends in the future.

logan lerman, tween dream

Kids grow up so fast (too fast) these days. My nine year-old may still like her Barbies and stuffed animals, but she also has huge crushes on boy bands One Direction, Big Time Rush, and certain young actors. One of her current faves is Logan Lerman, AKA Percy Jackson. We saw the first movie, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, and liked it (well, I was pretty lukewarm about it at first, but I have enjoyed it more since on DVD), so I knew we would have to go see the second film which came out recently, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters.

Dionysus and young Percy

Hermes can get any package, any dimension, any time

The film seems to move at hyper-speed, and people who are neither familiar with The Lightning Thief or the books that the movies are based on may feel a little at sea ... but there was a lot of humor (for Greek mythology geeks like myself) in Sea of Monsters and great cameos, by some of our favorite actors:

Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Merlin) as Chiron, Percy's centaur mentor
Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games, Easy A, Big Night) as Dionysus
Nathan Fillion (Firefly) as Hermes
Missi Pyle (Galaxy Quest , Bringing Down the House), Yvette Nicole Brown, and Mary Birdsong as the Graeae

Percy and his two best buddies, daughter of Athena Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario) and satyr Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) set off on a quest to once again save the world and prevent the destruction of their home, Camp Half-Blood, a training camp and refuge for the modern-day sons and daughters of the Greek gods. Zeus & Co. may have retired to Mount Olympus, but they apparently still occasionally come down to earth and have relationships with humans. The trio are joined by Percy's nemesis, daughter of Ares Clarisse (Leven Rambin, who is a very good) and Percy's newly discovered half-brother, the cyclops Tyson (Douglas Smith). There are some nice set pieces, including a visit with the Oracle, Hermes, a hippocampus, the Golden Fleece, and Scylla and Charybdis. The movie, like the books, follows a pretty predictable course, but the kid enjoyed it, which is most of the point. It was also nice for me to dodge one of the many animated movies that were clogging multiplexes this summer. Sometimes I'm just not in the mood for little Minions or Smurfs.

The gang's all here, L-R: Tyson, Clarisse, Grover, Annabeth, and Percy steal the Golden Fleece from Polyphemus

Of course all of this is fine and dandy when her not-so-secret crush is in a movie that she can see, like Sea of Monsters or the silly but entertaining remake of The Three Musketeers. But things get a little murkier when an actor like Lerman branches out into more adult fare, like The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I found myself having to explain to the kid why she couldn't watch Percy and Hermione (Emma Watson) in a movie together. Not exactly appropriate for a nine year-old, no matter how sophisticated and pop-culture savvy she might appear to be.

shiver

I could swear one of the blogs I regularly read reviewed this book and thumbs-upped it a while back, but I can't find the review. Now that I've read it, I was curious to read the review again. Oh well. I bought this book for my almost sweet-sixteen niece for Xmas, but figured I better read it first, just to be sure it was o.k. Apart from one very discreet love scene, it was more than appropriate for a "young adult." In fact, the whole book reads like a very innocent teenage girl's dream—not the Katy Perry variety.

I wasn't exactly looking for or expecting sexy passages—I thought this would be more supernatural in nature, not pure romance, but I do find it interesting that there seems to be an innocence trend in teen-lit or YA. I haven't read the Twilight books—just flipping through the first few pages of the first book in the series in Target didn't encourage me. I've read most of the Percy Jackson series, which are pretty romance-free, prompted by said niece. Harry Potter manages a clinch or two in seven books. It's all very chaste. It's interesting.

The author made a lovely little trailer for her book—she did the collage and the music.

This book isn't about sex, although some folks might be instantly turned off by the potential bestiality implied in a girl-loves-werewolf story. It's a swoony, girly, love story. The heroine Grace stars out as a slightly eccentric girl, a survivor of a wolf attack who is now drawn to the pack that hangs out in the woods beyond her house, almost abnormally. She is smart and independent and I liked her. The boy she loves, Sam, is almost too perfect, too gentlemanly, too sweet. But he's the perfect magical boyfriend, complete with shaggy hair and golden eyes. I guess these guys are this generation's Prince Charmings. My generation had ... I'm not sure who. There really wasn't a young adult book category when I was going to Barnes and Noble. I read my Nancy Drews and then graduated to Grandma's John Jakes and Sidney Sheldon and Harold Robbins novels for a little sex. In school we passed around thriller novels like Carrie and Jaws.

The middle of the book where girl meets wolf boy, girl loves wolf boy, girl loses wolf boy is pure romance with a dash of suspense. The mysteries laid out are gentle and not too mysterious, but that doesn't seem to be the point. What stays with the reader is the atmosphere—the impending cold weather, the woods behind Grace's house, which seem quite real. There are a few undeveloped or abandoned threads—what about the wolf girl Shelby, who is set up as such a threatening antagonist? Will Sam ever see his mentor Beck again? But there is a sequel (now part two of a trilogy), which I haven't read, but might, if I really want to see how some of this turns out. It depends on how much my niece likes this first book. I'm eager to hear her teenage opinion and see if her perspective of the story and characters differs widely from mine. Not surprisingly, there is a film version in the works.

Mostly I liked the author Maggie Stiefvater's twist on werewolf lore. Her werewolves are tied to the seasons and nature, changing into wolves at the first hint of frost, then back to human form in the summertime. It doesn't always make sense, but it is still intriguing and atmospheric and enough of a necessary obstacle for the young lovers that will intrigue young readers.

Book #4 in reading challenge Cannonball Read 3, sponsored by Pajiba

at the movies

Once upon a time I was well-versed in the world of new releases. Even if I only went out of my way to see a few of them, I was aware of pretty much every movie that was out or coming out. Of course, living in New York City made the pursuit of my enthusiasm easier. Everything comes to New York. Even the tiny little art film. But times change—especially after one has a child. It's hard to schedule seeing a movie—or to justify the expense with my single mom's salary. With the cost of a babysitter and the movie ticket (and what about a soda or possible treat?) it has seemed less and less of an imperative to see things first-run. Car payment or Sherlock Holmes, Star Trek or Avatar? I'm already paying for cable, so . . .

Just this year I was able to take my daughter to a few films (Up, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief) and not have to make numerous bathroom runs, or watch her fall asleep, or have to shush her every few scenes. The only movie I saw on my own was the latest Harry Potter. That was this year, right? I get to see most everything I want on-demand at some point anyway. Do you notice a trend? It's not that I don't like the more "quiet" films, but when I do go out to the theater and spend the money, it's usually to see the bigger, more visual films. More bang for my limited bucks.

I used to (co)host semi-elaborate Oscar parties, with ballots and wonderful themed prizes. Who knows. Maybe some day again. Out of force of habit or maybe an enduring love of Steve Martin I found myself checking in and watching some of the telecast last night. What always drew me to the show as a child and still does is of course watching the fashions on the red carpet. But the endless shilling of designer names and jewelry has become a bore. Who cares? It's been said a million times already, but where are Cher or Bjork when you need them? And will someone tell Miley Cyrus to stand up straight? She's too young for the slopey shoulders. Leave it to Robert Downey Jr. to be the most dapper by virtue of some blue-tinted shades. And Ben Stiller successfully silly with some blue-tinted skin and a fishing pole (way better than the proposed Sasha Baron Cohen shtick). And it's always fun to see Steve Martin in bed with another man. He and Alec Baldwin make a cute couple . . . of hosts.

This year I am watching the Oscars as a checklist of films that I will soon be watching on cable. Looking interesting: An Education, Crazy Heart, District 9, Inglourious Basterds, Julie & Julia. I suspect that I am not that different from most folks. The Oscars, beyond anything else, has always functioned as advertising for plenty of films that were just missed by most the first time around. As much as I still enjoy movies, I guess I just don't take them as seriously anymore. Or at least I'm less worried about seeing them when they first come out, when everyone else does. If they actually do—I have no sense from my coworkers if they are seeing all the new movies. There isn't much water cooler talk. Facebook and twitter have replaced all that.

Just a few quick observations. The show is always so god-awful long, so why cut people off mid-speech? But meanwhile they can still fit in meaningless film montages (horror movies?) And why was everyone so serious during Steve & Alec's opening tag-team monologue? George Clooney and Matt Damon, get over yourselves. At least Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep can laugh at themselves. The clips of those who died last year was as touching as ever. That's the only montage I ever think is worth the screen time.

If I don't make it to the end of the show I can catch the jokes I missed on YouTube tomorrow. But I give team Steve and Alec a thumbs up. Colin Farrell's, Michelle Pfeiffer's, Oprah Winfrey's and Stanley Tucci's best actor and actress intros were so fun I didn't really care about the winners (but yay—the DUDE won!) I think Sandra Bullock was genuinely shocked and probably lost money in her Oscar pool. Pretty cool Kathryn Bigelow got her award from Babs. I'm also happy to see LOST's Michael Giacchino won an award for Up, because the music was a wonderful and integral part of that little gem, which also won best animated film. Hey, I did see a winner this year.

lightning with a few sparks

We just caught Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief this weekend. It's been getting pretty so-so reviews, so I wasn't expecting much, and it was . . . O.K. Not bad at all, entertaining, but I'm not sure how avid young fans of the books will feel about it. The kids are cute and the effects were just scary enough without being too scary. I have no problem with the movie being Harry Potter lite, as that is also how the book seemed to me. The mystery was about at a Scooby Doo level of complexity, but again, not too different from the book. I have since read the second book, and although I still have some quibbles with the forced wise-assedness of its hero's dialogue, it is a much better read, and has spurred me on to check out the rest of the series.

I have never had a problem with movies differing from books—two different mediums. And I frankly was relieved at all the cuts and slashes the Potter series received in its cinematic translations, as J.K. Rowling does go on and on and on—that series of books could have benefited from a brave editor, but c'est la vie.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief changes a few things around, makes the kids a tad older, cuts out some exposition, and thankfully doesn't beat you over the head with the ADHD references—it's explained once and then it's gone—if only author Rick Riordan could have been as economical. What it does do that isn't as cool is downplay some of the Gods-in-the-contemporary-world parallels that Riordan works so hard to include in the books. For a student of Greek myth like myself, these clues can be seen a long way coming, but they're still a great way to introduce Greek mythology to kids and to show them how myth is alive in their own world. Two scenes hint that this may have originally been in the script at some point: Uma Thurman having fun as snake-haired Medusa and Rosario Dawson & Steve Coogan as Mr. & Mrs. Hades, the ultimate Rock & Roll couple. In fact, Rosario Dawson's take on Persephone gives that mythological character a new twist. It is a huge disappointment at the end of the movie to see the gods decked out in togas—what the Hades happened?

So like the books, I would give it an O.K.—check it out. It's never bad to expose kids to mythology. But the whole thing is just a little . . . flat. If you want to have some over-the-top emotional roller-coaster fun in a movie, re-watch the latest Harry Potter.

If you want classic Greek mythology on film, Jason and the Argonauts, with creatures by Ray Harryhausen is still fun, and Ulysses with Kirk Douglas kicks serious ass. For fanciful mythic interpretations as kids get older (and for adults right now), the classic Orphée and Black Orpheus should not be missed. Clash of the Titans was always corny fun, and has been remade and will be released next month with an interesting cast.

And who knows, maybe with the next Percy Jackson film—because there probably will be one—they'll do a better job. Riordan did with the books.