How much did I love this movie?! Joss Whedon (Buffy, Angel, Dollhouse, Firefly) is amazing! I am not much of an Iron Man fan, but he was so funny in The Avengers (2012). He had some great one liners! The humor in The Avengers is wonderful! At one point, I was thinking to myself, "I have never enjoyed Robert Downey Jr. (Sherlock Holmes, The Soloist, Wonder Boys) so much, he is so funny". That is when it hit me! It's Joss Whedon humor! He had to have written the screenplay! Sure enough, the end credits rolled and, story Zak Penn (X2, Elektra, Last Action Hero) and Joss Whedon, screenplay Joss Whedon. I knew it! His style is wonderful! I knew he directed The Avengers but somehow I missed that he wrote the screenplay as well.
There have been some doubts about cramming this many big names into one movie. How can each superhero possibly be highlighted properly and each star get there time to shine? Well somehow Joss pulls it off! The combination really worked and it was wonderful. Thor and Iron Man are great. They have this wonderful fight scene. Scarlett Johansson (The Island, The Prestige, Lost in Translation, The Perfect Score) was wonderful as Black Widow. I really liked her and her character. Jeremy Renner (The Town, The Hurt Locker, Thor) as Hawkeye was superb. His bow was so cool. He had a very small part in Thor (2011) but it was one of my favorite parts. "Do you want me to take him down or would you rather send in more guys for him to beat up?"
The Incredible Hulk was so cool in this one. I have seen the previous Hulk movies. I watched Hulk (2003). It was .... OK? I guess? I really liked The Incredible Hulk (2008) with Edward Norton (Fight Club, The Illusionist, The Score). That was just a great movie and Edward Norton is simply amazing so.... well you know. Mark Ruffalo (Rumor Has It...., Just Like Heaven, Shutter Island) plays Bruce Banner in The Avengers. I don't want to down play his performance at all. He does a great job. However, that being said this movie has the best Hulk ever! He has such character and the best facial expressions. The Hulk has some of the best scenes in the movie. He is actually very funny and has great comedic timing. If I had to pick my favorite Hulk scene it would be a tie. It is hilarious when he punches Thor for absolutely no reason at all and his "fight" with Loki. Hulk is just cool.
I really can't say enough about how much fun this movie is. It is a great action flick with very cool fight scenes. The end battle was amazing! It is also full of Whedonisms, his style and sense of humor come through so clearly. It is just brilliant. By the way did I mention how much I enjoyed the director and his style? Beautifully shot.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Friday, May 18, 2012
The Matrix
Can writers be one-hit wonders the way musicians can be? If so the Wachowski brothers (V for Vendetta, Speed Racer, Bound) would be one-hit wonders. I don't mean that in a negative way or anything. After all I still haven't seen V for Vendetta (2005). Maybe that one is pretty awesome as well. I do know that The Matrix (1999) is quite possibly one of the coolest movies I have ever seen. Whether you like the movie or not you have to admit the impact it has had on movies and on pop culture. Can it be called, revolutionary? I even make reference to The Matrix in my post about In Time (2011)
I will never forget going to see The Matrix is the theaters for the very first time. Five minutes into it you knew you were watching something new. When you see Trinity, portrayed by Carrie-Anne Moss (Memento, Chocolat, Distrubia) hovering, right before she kicks the guy.........WOW! I was blown away. How many times have we seen that scene repeated or mimicked in other media now? And, we can't forget Keanu Reeves (The Lake House, A Walk in the Clouds, Much Ado About Nothing, Constantine) famous dodging bullets scene. That was just beautiful and has also been redone over and over. And we can't forget when Neo learns what Morpheus meant by, "when you are ready, you won't need to." Morpheus is just an amazing character portrayed by Laurence Fishburne (Contagion, 21, Akeelah and the Bee, Mystic River), who himself is pretty amazing. Because of Morpheus we will forever be asking, would you have taken the red pill or the blue pill? After all if "you take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes".
The Wachowski brothers truly created a wonderful thing with The Matrix. The story line is so good. I have seen the entire trilogy. I have this thing about trilogies though. The middle one is always my least favorite. It just is. The last one was pretty good, but all I need is the original. I am perfectly happy just watching that one and don't really worry about the other two. They are good and they do continue the story it's just that I like the first one the best. After all it is the one that taught me this very important life lesson. "Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead....only try to realize the truth. There is no spoon."
I will never forget going to see The Matrix is the theaters for the very first time. Five minutes into it you knew you were watching something new. When you see Trinity, portrayed by Carrie-Anne Moss (Memento, Chocolat, Distrubia) hovering, right before she kicks the guy.........WOW! I was blown away. How many times have we seen that scene repeated or mimicked in other media now? And, we can't forget Keanu Reeves (The Lake House, A Walk in the Clouds, Much Ado About Nothing, Constantine) famous dodging bullets scene. That was just beautiful and has also been redone over and over. And we can't forget when Neo learns what Morpheus meant by, "when you are ready, you won't need to." Morpheus is just an amazing character portrayed by Laurence Fishburne (Contagion, 21, Akeelah and the Bee, Mystic River), who himself is pretty amazing. Because of Morpheus we will forever be asking, would you have taken the red pill or the blue pill? After all if "you take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes".
The Wachowski brothers truly created a wonderful thing with The Matrix. The story line is so good. I have seen the entire trilogy. I have this thing about trilogies though. The middle one is always my least favorite. It just is. The last one was pretty good, but all I need is the original. I am perfectly happy just watching that one and don't really worry about the other two. They are good and they do continue the story it's just that I like the first one the best. After all it is the one that taught me this very important life lesson. "Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead....only try to realize the truth. There is no spoon."
Monday, May 7, 2012
The Muppets
One evening I was in line at Redbox and overheard a conversation between an eight year old girl and her older sister. They were trying to pick a movie. The older sister, who was maybe eleven, was suggesting The Muppets (2011). To which the little sister replied, "No! I saw that it is soooo booooring". Is that true? Are the Muppets boring? Everyone I have talked to about The Muppets newest movie has said the same thing. "It is so slow", "how boring".
This question is a major focal point of the script. Chris Cooper (American Beauty, The Bourne Identity, Adaptation, The Patriot) whom I just love, is the "bad guy". He was amazing in Remember Me (2010) as a tough New York City police officer. But then to see him as an evil oil tycoon in The Muppets? That was great! He even sings a little song and has some pretty funny lines. Such as "maniacal laugh ..... maniacal laugh ...."
Kermit needs to get the gang back together and raise money to save the Muppets studio and name. They decide to do a telethon and proceed to pitch the idea to studios. Nobody wants to touch it. They all say, no way. The last lady they talk to explains to them that they are all washed up. They aren't popular any more and they don't fit in with what is popular. To which Kermit replies "I think kids are better and smarter then this junk". Are they? Have we overstimulated them to the point that the Muppets are boring? No CGI, no flying creatures, no space ships or aliens and it isn't worth our time?
I have always loved the Muppets and this movie stayed very true to the original Muppet show. Including some awesome celebrity cameos! I liked this movie for the nostalgia of it. The songs where silly and fun. It has a wonderful message and you can laugh at the bad guy because he isn't as scary and menacing as most are now a days. That being said. Will your kids enjoy it? I don't know. Do they see the humor in that kind of comedy or does it go over their heads and just bore them? My girls haven't watched it yet so I can't tell you what they thought of it. I do wonder though?
This question is a major focal point of the script. Chris Cooper (American Beauty, The Bourne Identity, Adaptation, The Patriot) whom I just love, is the "bad guy". He was amazing in Remember Me (2010) as a tough New York City police officer. But then to see him as an evil oil tycoon in The Muppets? That was great! He even sings a little song and has some pretty funny lines. Such as "maniacal laugh ..... maniacal laugh ...."
Kermit needs to get the gang back together and raise money to save the Muppets studio and name. They decide to do a telethon and proceed to pitch the idea to studios. Nobody wants to touch it. They all say, no way. The last lady they talk to explains to them that they are all washed up. They aren't popular any more and they don't fit in with what is popular. To which Kermit replies "I think kids are better and smarter then this junk". Are they? Have we overstimulated them to the point that the Muppets are boring? No CGI, no flying creatures, no space ships or aliens and it isn't worth our time?
I have always loved the Muppets and this movie stayed very true to the original Muppet show. Including some awesome celebrity cameos! I liked this movie for the nostalgia of it. The songs where silly and fun. It has a wonderful message and you can laugh at the bad guy because he isn't as scary and menacing as most are now a days. That being said. Will your kids enjoy it? I don't know. Do they see the humor in that kind of comedy or does it go over their heads and just bore them? My girls haven't watched it yet so I can't tell you what they thought of it. I do wonder though?
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
The Help
"You is kind, you is smart, you is important" That is my favorite part of The Help (2011). I loved how Aibileen talks about taking care of her first baby and how much she loved him. It was then that she learned that she could have a positive influence on a child. She loved each one of those babies she raised. Sometimes more than their own mothers loved them. And she made it a point to tell each child how kind, smart and important they are.
The Help is an interesting view of life in Mississippi in the 1960's. Emma Stone (Easy A, Zombieland, Superbad) plays Skeeter. Skeeter is a very ambitious young girl, fresh from college. She wants to be an author and was told to write about something that bothers her but doesn't seem to bother any one else around her. That is when she decides to start interviewing maids, or "the help", about their lives. This movie has become so hugely popular that I really don't need to let you know all of that. It was nominated, and won, many awards. Justly so, I understand why it has made such a huge impact.
Movies, such as The Help, that deal with racial issues are a fascinating study of human behavior. I find relationships so interesting, the way we as human beings will treat others, for good or bad. Be it a mother/daughter relationship, a relationship with neighbors or a boss to an employee. This movie covers all of these relationships. I was really disturbed by the way Hilly and her "followers" treated Celia Foote. I know the movie was making a statement about the treatment of the help and I don't want to make light of that at all. It was awful and wrong. However, someone that is belittling to anyone, will be belittling to everyone no matter race. Celia's story really stuck with me. It broke my heart to watch her story unfold. All she needed was someone to tell her, "you is kind, you is smart, you is important". Each of us as human beings, no matter our race, gender, social standing, etc. should have someone in our lives to remind us of how special we are for just being us.
Everyone talks about the end. The ending is very powerful and not what one might call happy. The movie in general isn't really a feel good, happy movie. It has some very funny moments and some wonderful characters who are very lovable. That isn't really the point though. The point is to make us stop and think and maybe take a self evaluation about the way we treat our fellow man.
The Help is an interesting view of life in Mississippi in the 1960's. Emma Stone (Easy A, Zombieland, Superbad) plays Skeeter. Skeeter is a very ambitious young girl, fresh from college. She wants to be an author and was told to write about something that bothers her but doesn't seem to bother any one else around her. That is when she decides to start interviewing maids, or "the help", about their lives. This movie has become so hugely popular that I really don't need to let you know all of that. It was nominated, and won, many awards. Justly so, I understand why it has made such a huge impact.
Movies, such as The Help, that deal with racial issues are a fascinating study of human behavior. I find relationships so interesting, the way we as human beings will treat others, for good or bad. Be it a mother/daughter relationship, a relationship with neighbors or a boss to an employee. This movie covers all of these relationships. I was really disturbed by the way Hilly and her "followers" treated Celia Foote. I know the movie was making a statement about the treatment of the help and I don't want to make light of that at all. It was awful and wrong. However, someone that is belittling to anyone, will be belittling to everyone no matter race. Celia's story really stuck with me. It broke my heart to watch her story unfold. All she needed was someone to tell her, "you is kind, you is smart, you is important". Each of us as human beings, no matter our race, gender, social standing, etc. should have someone in our lives to remind us of how special we are for just being us.
Everyone talks about the end. The ending is very powerful and not what one might call happy. The movie in general isn't really a feel good, happy movie. It has some very funny moments and some wonderful characters who are very lovable. That isn't really the point though. The point is to make us stop and think and maybe take a self evaluation about the way we treat our fellow man.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
In Time
Another wonderful glimpse into the very interesting mind of writer/director Andrew Niccol (Lord of War, S1m0ne, Gattaca). There are so few original scripts out there. Everything is a remake, a book, a sequel etc. etc. It is so nice when someone writes a script just for a movie. Don't get me wrong, if you have read my past posts you know I love all of these, and don't have much of a preference when it comes to movies. I am just saying it is refreshing when it's an original script. I also really like it when the writer is the director. You really get to see his entire vision. He not only wrote it, but then gets to bring it to life just how he imagined it.
Gattaca (1997) was an intriguing look at genetic manipulation. What if man kind could genetically choose the perfect child? I mean, from conception you can choose eye color, hair color, sex, IQ even? It was a very interesting movie. In Time (2011) is another sci-fi, futuristic what if movie. People have evolved to the point that they have stopped aging at 25, "but are engineered to live only one more year". At the age of 25 your "clock" kicks on. The clock is a series of glowing, green numbers on your forearm. There is no more money exchanged, everything is dealt with by means of time. You are given one year when the clock first starts, after that you work to earn more time, you pay for everything with time. This translates to millionaires being immortal and on the opposite side, living pay check to check literally is living day to day.
Justin Timberlake (Love Actually, Get Smart, Bad Boys II) plays Will Salas. He is one of those young men living day to day. He goes to work and gets paid that day, his payment is 18 hours. That's it! He and his mom are always down to minutes. I should explain that when your time runs out, the clock shows nothing but zeros, your last seconds are gone, you just drop dead.
I will never think of time the same after watching this movie. All of the little sayings we have, "clean your clock", "I don't have the time", "just give me a minute" will always make me stop and think now. Sadly time management is such a huge part of our lives, we are bombarded constantly. Everyone "needing some of our time". Some of us feeling like we have more than enough to share but don't really want to, some of us feeling like we can't spare any and those who have the time to share and do. These are the thoughts that ran through my head while watching Salas battle with this exact thing in a very literal way.
I was surprised by all of the familiar faces in this movie, it was kind of fun. Cillian Murphy (Inception, The Dark Knight, 28 Days Later ....., Girl with a Peal Earring) completely freaks me out after playing such a believable Scarecrow. However, the more roles I see him in I can't help but like him and I really liked his Neo look as Raymond Leon, the Timekeeper. Johnny Galecki (Hancock, Roseanne, Big Bang Theory) is Will's best friend, Borel. The biggest surprise was seeing Connor. That would be Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men, Alpha Dog, Rango, Angel). Joss Whedon fans will know him as Angel's son, Connor.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this movie. Fascinating story line, good sci-fi flick, and I almost forgot I was watching Justin Timberlake. (wink, wink, just kidding)
Gattaca (1997) was an intriguing look at genetic manipulation. What if man kind could genetically choose the perfect child? I mean, from conception you can choose eye color, hair color, sex, IQ even? It was a very interesting movie. In Time (2011) is another sci-fi, futuristic what if movie. People have evolved to the point that they have stopped aging at 25, "but are engineered to live only one more year". At the age of 25 your "clock" kicks on. The clock is a series of glowing, green numbers on your forearm. There is no more money exchanged, everything is dealt with by means of time. You are given one year when the clock first starts, after that you work to earn more time, you pay for everything with time. This translates to millionaires being immortal and on the opposite side, living pay check to check literally is living day to day.
Justin Timberlake (Love Actually, Get Smart, Bad Boys II) plays Will Salas. He is one of those young men living day to day. He goes to work and gets paid that day, his payment is 18 hours. That's it! He and his mom are always down to minutes. I should explain that when your time runs out, the clock shows nothing but zeros, your last seconds are gone, you just drop dead.
I will never think of time the same after watching this movie. All of the little sayings we have, "clean your clock", "I don't have the time", "just give me a minute" will always make me stop and think now. Sadly time management is such a huge part of our lives, we are bombarded constantly. Everyone "needing some of our time". Some of us feeling like we have more than enough to share but don't really want to, some of us feeling like we can't spare any and those who have the time to share and do. These are the thoughts that ran through my head while watching Salas battle with this exact thing in a very literal way.
I was surprised by all of the familiar faces in this movie, it was kind of fun. Cillian Murphy (Inception, The Dark Knight, 28 Days Later ....., Girl with a Peal Earring) completely freaks me out after playing such a believable Scarecrow. However, the more roles I see him in I can't help but like him and I really liked his Neo look as Raymond Leon, the Timekeeper. Johnny Galecki (Hancock, Roseanne, Big Bang Theory) is Will's best friend, Borel. The biggest surprise was seeing Connor. That would be Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men, Alpha Dog, Rango, Angel). Joss Whedon fans will know him as Angel's son, Connor.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this movie. Fascinating story line, good sci-fi flick, and I almost forgot I was watching Justin Timberlake. (wink, wink, just kidding)
Friday, April 13, 2012
Hugo
My first thoughts about Hugo (2011) was, "This is a children's book?" It seemed so deep and way to involved to be a children's picture book. Obviously I have never read the book, but I am now very interested in getting my hands on a copy. I watched a behind the scenes/making of segment about Hugo and the book it is based on. There are certain shots in the movie that are right out of the book. There are many reasons I was curious to see this movie. First and foremost it is a Martin Scorsese (Goodfellas, The Departed, Shutter Island, Taxi Driver) and it isn't bloody! There are no gruesome deaths, no gangsters or mobsters, no shootouts. I think it would be safe to say that Hugo is his only "family friendly" movie. I just had to check out this whole new side to Scorsese!
Hugo probably isn't for everyone. I know it was nominated for best picture at the Oscars and won a great deal of other awards. That being said it is a very "artsy" film. I found it very interesting and visualy stunning. The cinematography is just beautiful. The acting is wonderful and of course the directing is magnificent. Can I say any less for Scorsese? (I would be scared to say otherwise) Ben Kingsley (Schindler's List, Gandhi, Sneakers, House of Sand and Fog) is simply amazing. Asa Butterfield (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, The Wolfman, Nanny McPhee Returns) is very talented. I am anxiously waiting to see him as Ender Wiggin in next years Ender's Game (2013). I could see a bit of Ender in Hugo and I think he is going to be great in that one as well. Hugo really has a great cast and if you can watch it for the artistic feel and appreciate the beauty that it is you may enjoy it. Not to mention the wonderful Automaton and the steampunk look and feel the movie has. It has a fascinating story line as well. There is way to much going on to explain. Lets just say it is more than a boy living in a train station and it touches on the beginning origins of moving pictures.
Hugo probably isn't for everyone. I know it was nominated for best picture at the Oscars and won a great deal of other awards. That being said it is a very "artsy" film. I found it very interesting and visualy stunning. The cinematography is just beautiful. The acting is wonderful and of course the directing is magnificent. Can I say any less for Scorsese? (I would be scared to say otherwise) Ben Kingsley (Schindler's List, Gandhi, Sneakers, House of Sand and Fog) is simply amazing. Asa Butterfield (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, The Wolfman, Nanny McPhee Returns) is very talented. I am anxiously waiting to see him as Ender Wiggin in next years Ender's Game (2013). I could see a bit of Ender in Hugo and I think he is going to be great in that one as well. Hugo really has a great cast and if you can watch it for the artistic feel and appreciate the beauty that it is you may enjoy it. Not to mention the wonderful Automaton and the steampunk look and feel the movie has. It has a fascinating story line as well. There is way to much going on to explain. Lets just say it is more than a boy living in a train station and it touches on the beginning origins of moving pictures.
Friday, March 30, 2012
The Hunger Games
First of all I should apologize. This has been a crazy busy March and I haven’t focused on my blog the way I would have liked. I will try to make up for that. On the good side, we are heading into the summer movies! Lots of fun stuff to talk about.
The Hunger Games (2012) is one of those movies that doesn’t really need to be reviewed. You can divide people into one of three groups. The fans of the book are going to go see the movie no matter what people say. Then you have those that are curious about all of the hype. They don’t read the book but, will go watch the movie just to see what people are talking about. Then there are the people like me. I read the books. Yes, all three! I wouldn’t say I fell in love with them but I found them interesting and am always curious to see how they choose to transfer books to movies. I guess you could say there is a fourth group. Those who refuse to give in and read the book or see the movie at all.
I didn’t go to the midnight release of The Hunger games but I did see it opening weekend. I was impressed with the movie. They did a great job staying true to the book. As always, the book will fill in the blanks a bit but I guess that isn’t always necessary for everyone. I believe you can enjoy this movie having never read the book. I feel very strongly that you should always do both, read the book and then see the movie, but I know not everyone cares that much. I was watching an interview with Stephen King and he said, “comparing a book to the movie is like comparing apples to oranges. They are both delicious, but have very different flavors.” I really liked that! A movie can never take the place of a book no matter how hard they try. It is just a different medium and watching a movie is a different experience than reading a book. If I want the crunch of an apple, an orange will never really satisfy.
The Hunger Games is such a hugely popular series that I feel I don’t need to say too much about the actual story line. So, I will tell you about the technical side. Gary Ross (Pleasantville, Seabiscuit, Big, Dave) wrote the screenplay and directed The Hunger Games. I am curious if he will do all three? The actors have signed contracts for all three movies. (The last one will not be in two parts). I know Gary Ross is directing the second movie, Catching Fire (2013), but will the studio keep him for the last one? I liked his directing style. The actors all do a wonderful job. The movie had the same feel to it as the book and everyone portrayed their characters very much the way I pictured them. The “careers” where very frightening. So crazy, wild and blood thirsty. Just the way I imagined them. Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone, X-Men: First Class, Like Crazy) is a wonderful Katniss. She still has a chip on her shoulder and has a hard time connecting with people. Peeta, played by Josh Hutcherson (Bridge to Terabithia, The Kids Are All Right, Zathura) was very out of place in the arena. As a sensitive, quiet and shy baker he didn’t really seem to stand a chance of making it very long. Rue was as adorable and just as sly as I imagined in the books. Amandla Stenberg (Colombiana, Texas Killing Fields, Why Did I Get Married Too?) embodied her well. Woody Harrelson (Cheers, Zombieland, Natural Born Killers, Friends with Benefits) is wonderful as Haymitch, the drunk mentor that is suppose to help Peeta and Katniss. Stanley Tucci (Margin Call, Easy A, Undercover Blues, Shall We Dance) is so good in any roles he takes on that Caesar Flickerman just came to life. Blue hair, cheesy smile and all!
There are some slight changes from the book but for the most part it sticks to the book very closely. And, as I said previously, is a good movie even if you haven’t read the book. You can follow it and don’t feel lost or feel like you are missing out on something. The Hunger Games is written in first person, from Katniss’ point of view. Some of the changes they made in the movie really added to the story. By removing the first person point of view they could show us things that they just couldn’t in the book. My favorite was the CGI for the panel of people controlling the arena. It adds to the “creep factor” when you see this group of people watching the “games” unfold and manipulate the arena to their advantage. Wes Bentley (American Beauty, The Four Feathers, Ghost Rider, Gone) plays Seneca, the Gamemaker. He was wonderful to watch. All of the actors are wonderful. I can’t wait to watch them grow in their individual roles throughout the trilogy.
The Hunger Games (2012) is one of those movies that doesn’t really need to be reviewed. You can divide people into one of three groups. The fans of the book are going to go see the movie no matter what people say. Then you have those that are curious about all of the hype. They don’t read the book but, will go watch the movie just to see what people are talking about. Then there are the people like me. I read the books. Yes, all three! I wouldn’t say I fell in love with them but I found them interesting and am always curious to see how they choose to transfer books to movies. I guess you could say there is a fourth group. Those who refuse to give in and read the book or see the movie at all.
I didn’t go to the midnight release of The Hunger games but I did see it opening weekend. I was impressed with the movie. They did a great job staying true to the book. As always, the book will fill in the blanks a bit but I guess that isn’t always necessary for everyone. I believe you can enjoy this movie having never read the book. I feel very strongly that you should always do both, read the book and then see the movie, but I know not everyone cares that much. I was watching an interview with Stephen King and he said, “comparing a book to the movie is like comparing apples to oranges. They are both delicious, but have very different flavors.” I really liked that! A movie can never take the place of a book no matter how hard they try. It is just a different medium and watching a movie is a different experience than reading a book. If I want the crunch of an apple, an orange will never really satisfy.
The Hunger Games is such a hugely popular series that I feel I don’t need to say too much about the actual story line. So, I will tell you about the technical side. Gary Ross (Pleasantville, Seabiscuit, Big, Dave) wrote the screenplay and directed The Hunger Games. I am curious if he will do all three? The actors have signed contracts for all three movies. (The last one will not be in two parts). I know Gary Ross is directing the second movie, Catching Fire (2013), but will the studio keep him for the last one? I liked his directing style. The actors all do a wonderful job. The movie had the same feel to it as the book and everyone portrayed their characters very much the way I pictured them. The “careers” where very frightening. So crazy, wild and blood thirsty. Just the way I imagined them. Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone, X-Men: First Class, Like Crazy) is a wonderful Katniss. She still has a chip on her shoulder and has a hard time connecting with people. Peeta, played by Josh Hutcherson (Bridge to Terabithia, The Kids Are All Right, Zathura) was very out of place in the arena. As a sensitive, quiet and shy baker he didn’t really seem to stand a chance of making it very long. Rue was as adorable and just as sly as I imagined in the books. Amandla Stenberg (Colombiana, Texas Killing Fields, Why Did I Get Married Too?) embodied her well. Woody Harrelson (Cheers, Zombieland, Natural Born Killers, Friends with Benefits) is wonderful as Haymitch, the drunk mentor that is suppose to help Peeta and Katniss. Stanley Tucci (Margin Call, Easy A, Undercover Blues, Shall We Dance) is so good in any roles he takes on that Caesar Flickerman just came to life. Blue hair, cheesy smile and all!
There are some slight changes from the book but for the most part it sticks to the book very closely. And, as I said previously, is a good movie even if you haven’t read the book. You can follow it and don’t feel lost or feel like you are missing out on something. The Hunger Games is written in first person, from Katniss’ point of view. Some of the changes they made in the movie really added to the story. By removing the first person point of view they could show us things that they just couldn’t in the book. My favorite was the CGI for the panel of people controlling the arena. It adds to the “creep factor” when you see this group of people watching the “games” unfold and manipulate the arena to their advantage. Wes Bentley (American Beauty, The Four Feathers, Ghost Rider, Gone) plays Seneca, the Gamemaker. He was wonderful to watch. All of the actors are wonderful. I can’t wait to watch them grow in their individual roles throughout the trilogy.
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