I looked through my fractal galleries for hours trying to find a remotely-suitable fractal "cookie" for the review of The Hunger Games but came up with zip. In the end I chose Cross Spiral mainly because I thought it was kinda cool and I hadn't used it before. So--after a brief personal confession on with the review!
-
I'm a "late adopter" from a family of late adopters: our household was way behind the curve getting a microwave and an answering machines. ATM Cards were in common usage before I got one and "Pottermania" was sweeping the world before I read J.K. Rowling's first novel. When The Hunger Games was released I gave it a pass: to me it seemed like just another work of dystopian sci fi. Still, the movie came out to pretty much universal praise so I decided to have a look. What I saw was pretty amazing but I was left wanting more.
-
Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games came up with the idea for the novel after serving in the Middle East and watching Survivor on television. The fable she created of children battling to the death featured bits on stylists, coaches and show producers that put an interesting spin on the story. And, of course there's a romantic triangle to get the teenie-boppers invested and just enough politics to pique the curiosity of the intelligentsia. Still, enough about the plot--if you want the rest of the story read the books or see the movie.
-
Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss inhabits her role and gives a stoic perforamnce: I don't know what it is about her acting but there's something in her performance that makes you root for her. Josh Hutcheson (Peeta) and Liam Hemsworth (Gale) are the other two sides of the triangle. Hutcheson plays his cardboard character well but Hemsworth doesn't have enough screen time to make much of an impression. (He'll play a larger part in the sequels.) The big moments come from supporting players Stanley Tucci (channeling Ryan Seacrest in the role of Ceasar Flckerman) Wes Bentley (who has the unenviable task of playing Seneca Crane--show runner of The Hunger Games broadcast), and Donald Sutherland as President Snow (a deep-thinking father figure with a heart as cold as his last name.) I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Elizabeth Banks in the role of Effie Trinket who gets credit for surviving the outlandish costumes she has to wear. Mark my words--you'll see some of these folks come Oscar time! The Hunger Games should be well-represented at the 2013 Oscars in Makeup, Cinematography and Set Design.
-
Going in to The Hunger Games I was a bit worried that I might not be able to fully understand the story without having read the books: the good news is that you don't need the books to enjoy the movie. Still, more than once I found myself asking "who is...?" or "why did they...?" or some other similar question. That being said--I LOVE explanations and I suspect most folk won't even notice that many plot points are left out.
-
The Hunger Games isn't one of the best movies of all time but it's certainly one of the best this year. Makes me wonder why the studio decided to release it so early in the year and why they had such a severe press embargo until literally the day before the movie opened: that's usually a sign the studio doesn't have faith in the release. Still, the movie is well worth seeing and I imagine it will play well if you see it more than once.
-
FINAL GRADE: A
Writing a review of John Carter meant I had to go directly to Ares as today's fractal cookie. So--on with the review!
-
I've always had a fascination with John Carter even though I never managed to read the novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs (creator of Tarzan for those of you not in the know). When I heard they were finally turning into a movie I was really excited. I hadn't been more excited to see a movie since Cowboys And Aliens. Sadly, like Cowboys and Aliens I was sorely disappointed. Watching John Carter on screen I found myself flashing back to "C%A" but not in a good way.
-
John Carter (Taylor Kitsch--who I've never heard of before) is a done as a pretty standard anti-hero (in this case a Civil War vet who gets zapped to the planet Mars) where he finds his soul and unites warring factions to fight a bigger menace. (Sounds like Cowboys And Aliens doesn't it?) The other characters are cardboard as well who exist only to move the story ahead. Worse, the slow pace and overly talky first half make the two hour plus running time seem more like four.
-
The movie reportedly cost upwards of 250 million dollars but I sure didn't see it on the screen. Yes, there were lots of animated four-armed martians (well enough done and looking a lot like 3D versions of Boris Vallejo art) and some cool-looking critters. The ships reminded me a lot of those I'd seen in Cowboys And Aliens (not a good thing considering the similarities of the two films) The script didn't thrill me (although there was a nice, completely unexpected bit of a twist at the end that was pretty darn cool). Worse, Robyn and I shelled out an additional seven bucks to see it in 3D--NOT worth it! (In fact the 3D FX were virtually unnoticeable.)
-
I really wish I'd have had something better to say about the movie but I just don't. The nicest thing I could say is that Robyn didn't hate it as much as I did--but even she didn't love it. There's really no reason to rush out to the theater to see this--or buy it when it comes out on DVD. Rent it if you must see it--or better yet wait 'til it comes out on HBO or Showtime (if you have a premium movie network).
-
FINAL GRADE: C- (and that's being kind)
A review of a movie based on The Borrowers needs a "Tiny" image: I chose Tiny 49 because it reminded me of some of the colors and images in The Secret World Of Arietty. So--on with the review!
-
You've gotta love the Japanese for their penchant for taking obscure British fantasy novels and turning them into lyrical animated films. They did it wiith Howl's Moving Castle (by Dianna Wynne Jones) and now they've done it with The Borrowers by Mary Norton. I'm not exactly sure how but a studio in Japan has teamed up with Disney to bring the movie to a broader audience. I remember reading the novel and seeing a Hallmark TV Movie when I was much younger--but honestly I don't remember much about either. I guess that means I have no preconcieved notions about the movie. Still, I didn't find myself being surprised by the plot so I guess the plots are basically the same.
-
The story is a fairly simple one: the last family of Borrowers--tiny people who live inside the walls and under the floorboards of a ramshakle old country home, make their living by taking just what they need by the gigantic "human beans" who reside above. Young Arietty (voiced by Bridgid Mendler) is on her first "borrowing" and is "seen" by sickly young "bean" Shawn. (Being "seen" is the ultimate disaster for Borrowers since human curiosity eventually causes calamity). Plucky Arietty and Shawn form a tentative friendship over the objections of her parents Pod (voiced by a surprisingly low-key Will Arnett) and Homily (Amy Poehler--in full hysterical mode). They also attract the attention of housekeeper Hara (voiced by Carol Burnett--bringing the crazy). What happens afterward? Read the book or see the movie!'
-
A couple of things really struck me about The Secret World Of Arietty: the hand-drawn images are nothing less than utterly gorgeous. There's a sweet, old-fashioned quality in the movie that Robyn and I really enjoyed (but younger folks might find a bit too slow). Still, the scenes, mostly drawn from a tiny person's point of view, are a joy to behold. I loved the depth of rendering and the soft, subtle, dare I say romantic? coloring. (See this movie on as large a screen as possible to appreciate all the details.) Some may find the celtic-inspired soundtrack a bit sicky-sweet but we both liked it (even if we didnt remember anything but the general tone after we left the theater). I'm not a huge "anime" fan so I wasn't completely surprised by the nods to Japanes culture in a quintisentially "English" movie (eating with chopsticks, reading from right to left and removing shoes in the house) but to me this just added to the quirk charm that infused the entire experience.
-
The Secret World Of Arietty probably moves too slow for younger kids but older childern (and more importantly their parents and grandparents) will enjoy. Fans of fast paced action-packed cartoons won't like this movie but it would appeal to general audiences and sci-fi and fantsy fans in particular. Go see it on the big screen if you can--rent it when it comes out if you can't.
-
FINAL GRADE: A
-
NOTE: checking IMDB for info I found there was a UK and US version with different voice casts. I don't know why: needless to say I reviewed the US version.
