Carrie (2013)-review

Anyone who saw the 1976 film version of Carrie had better prepare themselves for a massive dose of déjà vu.  The latest film version of the 1974 Stephen King novel makes some interesting choices in terms of casting. Some are really decent like Julianne Moore and Judy Greer, but the biggest mistake is casting Chloe Grace Moretz as Carrie.  The movie doesn’t have any big surprises and plays it pretty safe for the most part.

Carrie White, played by Chloe Grace Moretz, is the weird kid in school.  While in the shower at the High School she gets her first period and the other girls throw tampons at her and mock her terribly.  Her mother is a religious zealot that is abusive towards her which makes her life a living hell. While she is going through this rough patch she finds out that she can harness incredible psychic powers.

The casting of this movie is okay for the most part.  Julianne Moore as Margaret White is pretty chilling.  You can really believe that she is out of her mind and that she believes what she is doing is the right thing. Judy Greer as the gym teacher, Rita Desjardin, does a fine job creating a sympathetic character that we want to survive.

The odd choice of casting Chloe Grace Moretz as Carrie is baffling.  Moretz is too pretty a girl to pull off being the character of Carrie believably.  She really was not able to act like a girl who was victimized her entire life.  There is a difference between a person broken by years of torment and a pretty person pretending to be timid. 

Carrie is not a bad film.  I think that the heart is certainly in the right place and their intentions of keeping it close to the Stephen King story was noticeable.  It just plays it safe and does not do anything vastly different to distinguish them from the 1976 film.  It is certainly worth seeing as a matinee or a rental.  It is at least an interesting and entertaining film that is worth the time for Julianne Moore’s performance alone.

Dinner with Celebrities

A long time ago I was asked what 5 celebrities living or dead I’d invite for dinner if I could.  I put that list on Facebook recently and was asked to elaborate a tad.  I think if you had the opportunity to defy time and space and have dinner with people it should be people from different aspects of life that you care about.  For me it was politics, music, movies, books, and someone that created something that is my geek obsession.

​For politics I choose FDR.  During three terms he had to face the great depression, World War II and putting together many of the programs we have to this to this day like social security.   He also suffered from polio so was confined to a wheelchair throughout his Presidency but since the media was different then they didn’t reveal it to the public for fear it would make him look weak.

​For music I choose John Lennon.  Not only one of the founders of the Beatles he was an amazing solo artist.  He was not a perfect man.  But as a whole his story is an interesting one since he seems to be aware of his imperfections.  His love story with Yoko One is a great one.

​For movies I choose Clint Eastwood.  I think he is one of the best actors around and he has proven himself time and time again as a director.  He has led an interesting life and I wonder what goes through his head to make such good movies as “Million Dollar Baby” and “Gran Torino”.   I wonder what movies he uses as inspiration.

​For books I choose Stephen King.   He has written so much in his life and in other genres besides horror.  He establishes entire towns of fabulous characters.   He’s got a condition where he is slowly going blind but he still continues to write.  I honestly don’t think he’ll ever stop as long as there are ideas in his head.  I love that about him.

​Finally, there is my geek obsession.  I would eat with Matt Groening, creator of “The Simpsons” and “Futurama”.  I would pick the hell out of his brain about what went into such an amazing show and what a ride it has been and what it has meant to me.  It’s the longest running show in television history and it openly mocks the FOX Corporation.  That’s wild.

​I’m sure some of you have been thinking of what 5 folks you’d invite.  I urge you to write me and tell me who they are.  Hopefully you enjoyed this little bit about me.  If not…well, back to the reviews soon.  Take care, gentle readers.