the Crucible Review

Hello, I'm Clayton and welcome to "Clayton vs. Hollywood", you know, we had to read a LOT of really controversal books from "Lord of the Flies" to "To Kill a Mockingbird". But this year we read a story that I am not quite sure if it is controversal or not, "the Crucible" by Arthur Miller. The story is about the town of Salem, Massachusetts in a world of panic because of witchcraft. The book was accually pretty good, and I reccommend you reading it if you have the chance. But after we read it, we watched the movie version of it and that's today's review. It's basically the same as the book, the movie is centered around the Salem Massachusetts witch trials of 1692. Simple.

What I liked about the movie: Unlike "Percy Jackson", this movie accually follows the source material it is based on. Heck, the movie was written by the same guy who wrote the book, Arthur Miller. Plus the acting is pretty good, especially Winona Ryder as Abagail, perfect casting and Daniel-Day Lewis as John Proctor is pretty good.

What I didn't like about the movie: Basically the movie is just a perfect adaptation of the story but I just have one problem, why...is....everyone....in.....this.....movie....so....STUPID?! I mean the citizens are accussing everybody of witchcraft, even a poor old man! I don't think everyone got possessed by a demon, I think they got possessed by the citizens of South Park!

Final thoughts: Overall, "the Crucible" is a perfect adaptation of the story. The characters are developed well, the story is pretty good and the actors do a pretty good job with thier characters.

Rating: I give "the Crucible" a high recommendation, check it out.

I'm Clayton and prepare for Hollywood to pay for what we had to pay.

Percy Jackson Review

Review requested by: Brandon Bennet-Morrison. Hello, I'm Clayton, and welcome to "Clayton vs. Hollywood", if you ever ask me what one of my favorite book series is, I would say it would be "Percy Jackson and the Olympians". The five-book series written by Rick Riordan is about a demigod (half mortal/half god) that goes on many quests to prevent the Titan god Kronos from being ressurected. And when I've heard that 20th Century Fox is making a movie based on the series, I got excited. And when it got released and I saw it, well, let's get with the plot to the movie. "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: the Lightning Thief" is about when Zeus' his lightning bolt is stolen, he accuses Poseidon's son Percy Jackson and gives Poseidon's son fourteen days to return it, otherwise he will initiate a war amongst the gods. Meanwhile the teenager, Percy, who is dyslexic and has ADHD is visiting The Museum of Metropolitan of Art and is attacked by a Fury disguised in his teacher. His crippled best friend Grover reveals that Percy is a demigod and that he is his protector and his teacher Mr Brunner gives him a pen telling him that it is a powerful weapon. They go to Percy's house and together with his mother Sally they drive to the Camp Half-Blood. However Sally is attacked by a Minotaur and vanishes before Percy can help her. In the camp, Percy befriends the gorgeous Annabeth; when they are attacked by Hades who wants the lighting bolt for himself, Percy discovers that his mother is in the Underworld with Hades. Percy decides to travel on a dangerous quest to retrieve the lightning bolt and save his mother.

What I liked about the movie:
What I sort of liked about this movie is that it sticks somewhat to the storyline of the book and characters. Another thing I liked was the action scenes, the action was pretty awesome and intense, especially near the end when Percy is fighting with the REAL lightning thief (which I WON'T spoil).

What I didn't like:
What I didn't like about this movie is that they changed EVERYTHING that was in the book such as the age group with the characters, Annabeth's hair color, and I was really expecting Ares to be in this movie and could'nt wait to see my favorite part of the book. But it is not in there! Plus, some of the acting is not all that great.

Final thoughts: Overall, "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: the Lightning Thief" is not necessarilly a BAD movie but it's not as great as the books were. I've read on Wikipedia that they are making a "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: the Sea of Monsters" for release in 2013. I hope that they will change directors and stick it closer to the books. If you're a fan of the books like me, I'd say read the books first and then see the movie, or if you like Greek mythology, chances are you might like it.

Rating: I'd give it a moderate recommendation: decide for yourself

I'm Clayton and prepare for Hollywood to pay for what we had to pay

Cutthroat Island Review

Hello, I'm Clayton and welcome to "Clayton vs. Hollywood". Before "Pirates of the Carribean" came to swashbuckled people in theatres there was a certian pirate movie that has been widley considered to be the biggest box-office bombs of all time. And that film is none other than "Cutthroat Island" starring Geena Davis, Matthew Modine and Frank Langella. The film is about Morgan Adams and her slave, William Shaw on a quest to recover the three portions of a treasure map. Unfortunately, the final portion is held by her murderous uncle, Dawg. Her crew is skeptical of her leadership abilities, so she must complete her quest before they mutiny against her. This is made yet more difficult by the efforts of the British crown to end her piratical raids.

What I liked about the movie:
One of the aspects I like about the movie is that the film is your traditional treasure-hunting adventure movie. Need I say more? Plus, I love the actors in this film. Geena Davis shows us that female pirates can be scurvy dogs as well and Frank Langella does a fantastic job as Dawg. Another thing I liked was the music it sounds so epic for a pirate movie. And last, but not least, I loved the action-packed scenes, it gets you all suspenseful and excited for more.

What I didn't like about the movie:
There is nothing really I can say about it, it speaks for itself.

Final thoughts:
Overall, "Cutthroat Island" isn't that bad of a movie. It may not be as good as Pirates of the Carribean, but I at least thought it was a decent film. So, if you love swashbuckling action and pirates, this is the film for you.

Rating:
I give "Cutthroat Island" a high recommendation. It wasn't that bad.