Dear John....

**SPOILER ALERT**

If you haven't read or seen Dear John and want to, do not proceed because I'm about to give it all away.

This is one of my favorite books of all time. The reason why I love it? Because John doesn't get the girl. I love stuff like that. I'm not gonna lie. Dear John, Shakespeare in Love...neither of them get the girl and they are such good stories. The first time I read Dear John I was an emotional wreck for like a week. I think my husband thought I had an emotional breakdown or something that's how broken up I was.

Then I heard that not only were they making Dear John into a movie, there were casting Chaninng Tatum as John.

Pause for ridiculously girly squees of delight.

Okay moving on. I was pretty damn excited, then I saw the trailer and cried. Yup, I'm a sap. Last night I got to see the movie and at first I was so excited. Then it started and the excitement slowly faded and was replaced with mild..no scratch that, intense irritation. Right out the gate they screwed it up. Get ready, here come the spoilers. 

Okay...the first thing they did? John gets shot...in the book John NEVER gets shot. What the heck? Looking back, I guess they needed a catalyst for him to go home (because you, I guess the fact that taking leave would have just been too difficult, because you know that's how it goes down in the book).

The next thing you see is John surfing. Um, hi. No qualms there, lol.

Then they jump right into his relationship with Savannah. My problem with her? I like Amanda Seyfried...but anytime I look at her I see the ditzy Karen from Mean Girls. I can't help it, I see her grabbing her boobs and shouting that there's a 30%  chance its already raining. Just saying.

I think they could have found someone else who fit the role better...and not to mention Savannah was a brunette. I know I'm being nit picky but whatever. 

Then they introduce Tim. Tim who Savannah marries, Tim, who in the movie, looks like Grizzly Adams. Tim in the movie supposedly lives on the beach with his son, Allen. Guess nobody told the writer of the movie that Tim lives near Savannah's parents and that Allen is his brother. I hated that they changed that. There was no point in changing that part. 

Then they totally took God out of the story. Savannah and Tim were religious and went to church in the book, none of that in the movie. I mean I know you have to appeal to a larger audience with the movie, but really? The spiritual aspect was such a huge part of their characters.

We go through the rest of the movie, their two weeks together...it didn't stick totally to the story, but they didn't totally ruin it...so I guess that's a bonus. And I cried...I won't lie...there were times when I bawled like a baby...

Then the end...ah jeez...John's dad dies and he goes home for that, then he goes to see Savannah. They go to see Tim. In the book Tim has melanoma. In the movie Tim was lymphoma. In the book Tim asks John to take care of Savannah after he passes, in the movie Tim doesn't say that. 

I will say this, Channing Tatum gives one hell of a performance in this movie. I've never seen him in anything other than the Step Up movies and G.I. Joe and I never suspected he had any emotions other than thug or wanna be gangster...which was a nice surprise to see that he does...

Finally we get to the end of the movie. 

Tim then dies...he dies for Pete's sake! He doesn't die...he lives! So then it cuts to John walking down a street with a bike, looking scruffy as all get out, he chains a bike to a parking meter and looks over his shoulder and who should happen to be sitting in the cafe? Savannah. 

Seriously?

The whole idea of the book was that these two has such a whirlwind romance, such love in such a short time and then distance and time and fate kept them apart until it was just too much and they went their separate ways until fate interjected again and sent John home after his father's passing and even though they still have feelings for one another it was just not meant to be. 

I get it, you know, when movies have to change certain things, I understand that its hard to write a script based off a book. There is so much info in the book you have to choose what to keep and what to take out and change, but to change such critical parts and plot and storyline? Why? I don't get it.

So there you have it. If you haven't read the book, watch the movie, you'll love it. If you have read the book, and loved it as much as I did, you might want to seriously consider skipping this one.

Good Reads and See or Flee Flicks: A Book & Movie Review

This post might contain spoilers about the novel The Last Song and the movie Duplicity. Don't say I didn't warn you :)

 So last week I brought you Dread and The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, which I finished about three hours after the post and let me tell you...I was not disappointed with the ending.It was fabulous...

Did you see the movie or read the book?

This week I'm bringing you The Last Song by best selling author, and one of my personal favorites, Nicholas Sparks and Duplicity starring Julia Roberts and Clive Owen. (pause for squees of delight...Clive you are a cutie)

The Last Song begins with Ronnie Miller making her way to North Carolina to see her father and spend the summer with him. Well not really, it starts with Ronnie talking to her mom about something then flashes back to the trip down south. At first I HATED this book. I'd only read three chapters or so and I was not loving it, which by the third chapter of a Nicholas Sparks book I'm in serious puppy love. This one however, definitely no puppy love, heck there wasn't even lust.

It's written different than a typical Nicholas Sparks book, the beginning at least, and Ronnie is...well, if we're being frank - a bitch. Through the first half of the book I wanted to slap her because she was so insolent and rude.

Another thing was the multiple changing of point of views. All in all there were four points of view portrayed - Ronnie's, Will's - Ronnie's love interest, Marcus' - Ronnie's nemesis, and Steve's - Ronnie's father. Marcus' point of view weirded me out and I think I skimmed through his....for a Sparks book Marcus' head was too dark for me.

Then it got better towards the end. Ronnie's attitude started to go away and things were good. Then the Sparks bombshell (which if you've read enough of his books you know its going to ultimately come) which I knew was going to happen and I still cried anyway.

By this time Ronnie made a huge 360 and turned into a character I could like. The story picks back up where it left off in the very beginning and ends nicely.

All in all not my favorite Sparks book, but not totally horrid either. I'd give it a three out of five.

Duplicity came on HBO last week and I thought, "Hmm...Clive Owen (Yum!) and Julia Roberts, spy movie, sounds fun."

Boy was I wrong. This movie made no sense to me. Well that's a lie...the end made no sense and left me going, huh? I mean I got it, the movie is called Duplicity after all, but the end was just...well, it was lamespice for lack of a better term.

It goes in circles and at first your like "Oh wow, that's sheisty" but then it goes on and you're like, "Um, what the french is going on here?"

Julia and Clive are corporate spies, each one working at competing corporations and each trying to outsmart the others corporation. I can't even explain it. My recommendation? One out of five and a big fat don't waste your time...

Next week:

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

and

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past starring Jennifer Gardner and Matthew McConaughey