Hunger Games

Having raved about the book, I was worried about seeing the film. So often films don't live up to the novel. This one did...my, did it ever!

Remember the teen who wowed audiences with her portrait of a desperate kid in search of her father in Winter's Bone? Yeah, that's her above: Jennifer Lawrence. What a find! She's the perfect Katniss, the girl on the run, in Hunger Games. She's pretty in a very plain way...but most of all, she exudes girl power...the most important part of her role. She steals the show, with shaded, subtle reactions to her dilemma: how to stay alive and not lose her humanity in the process.

NO spoiler, as usual, so I will not divulge details. But it's common knowledge that the film is about a bunch of kids who are chosen to fight to the death. It's Lord of the Flies and 1984 in one visual, gripping package.

Yet, as I suggested in my book review, the story offers so many questions: What is the true nature of people? Are we basically violent? Why do we watch boxing and other gladiatorial sports? Does might make right? What about individual freedom? What about survival? So many wonderful issues....

Have I made my point? The movie is as good as the book. One reason: the author of the trilogy, Suzanne Collins, helped guide the flick.

The film gets a grade of A+!

RUN out and see it...then keep running, so you don't get killed by another desperate "tribute"!

Haha.. Enjoy!

Peter's thoughts

David's note: Peter "the Australian" is a good friend of mine. He enjoys movies and has many solid opinions. Here's an email he just wrote on a number of the films we've reviewed. He gave me permission to post his thoughts. Just for the record, Pete's a great guy but he speaks a very strange form of English, which may be the result of residing near kangaroos.

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Agree on The Walking Dead.

Thought The iron Lady was fabulous. She deserved the Oscar.

Loved Game Change.

Thought Drive Angry was just a cheap action flick to help pay Nicolas Cage's bad debts.

Actually a recent flick (released on DVD) that was underrated was called The Devils Double. Story of Uday Saddam's double. Directed by Lee Tamahori (NZ Director) who also made Once Were Warriors (great movie) and a couple of other OK films. Look him up.

Don't forget Zulu and Waterloo.

John Carter was OK if you like Sci-Fi (I do) as was War Horse (a classic movie that sort of reminded me of the old John Wayne flick The Quiet Man).

Did you critique Drive? ... Saw it again last night. Better second time around. Also saw Dragon Tattoo. Really liked it.

Walking Dead (dead as a doornail)

Last night I watched the final episode of season two. What a bummer! See the picture above? With the series killing off all its protagonists, there may well be just one person left to face the zombie apocalypse. What a waste of a potentially outstanding series.

The Hunger Games (BOOK)

OK, this is a film blog, agreed. But the movie The Hunger Games just came out a day ago, and I promise to see it very soon. Since it's based on the book, I am taking slight liberties here in commenting on the novel.

I was woefully ignorant of the book that came out in 2008. Where was i? Immersed in the great Lehmann Brothers fiasco and watching the U.S. of A. nearly go bust financially.

Recently a huge wave of media blitz hit that shook me out of my stupor. Everyone I meet asks, what did you think of the book The Hunger Games? Well, I jolly well ran out to read it, because this former academic can't be left in the literary lurch!

Oh my, what a book! Oh my, what a story! NO spoiler, so I can't say very much. But think Lord of the Flies. Think 1984. Think Brave New World. Think gladiators! Think people's thirst for blood! Think the future...

The author, Suzanne Collins, takes many of the futuristic/apocalyptic works and weaves them into a gripping, believable tale. What a literary masterpiece. Great plotting, outstanding characters, excellent inner voice. Amazing originality.

You'll love the protagonist, a 16 year old female who takes no prisoners (literally!)

Run out and read the book.

Meanwhile, I'll get over to the local theatre so I can make a proper movie review and hopefully deem the film as good as the book.

The Iron Lady

Just how many times can one actress have the label "tour de force" attached to her performance? Meryl Streep has done it again: given film-goers a staggeringly excellent performance as Britain's Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. But here are some facts to chew on about Ms. Streep:

# of Oscar nominations - 17
# of Oscar wins for Best Actress - 2 - Can you believe it?
Years since her last win - 29!!!

So while it may seem like she is "always winning," not true.

On to the film. This is a woman's story that deserved to be told. Agree with her politics or not, Thatcher was an extraordinary figure in British and Women's History. So why did this film leave me feeling sad? Much of it is told in flashback. In its "present" scenes we see a woman who is old, unkempt, sad, purposeless, and developing dementia.

I remember Thatcher very well, especially her many appearances on Meet the Press. All I will say more is that I believe she deserved to be remembered with more dignity. Once public figures and entertainers "retire" to private life, which is so no-glam, they are just like the rest of us. But I'm not sure I want to know that. (Now I understand the unusual movie poster; the lady is fading away.)





Side note: Streep's hair and makeup artist for the last 37 years (jeeze), J. Roy Helland, finally won HIS first Oscar this year. Bravo!

Walking Dead (is dead)

See the picture above? That's Dale with the hat, second from the right. Last week, the writers killed him off. See the guy holding the shotgun? He was THE most important and interesting character...now he's gone too. Why create a logo-style picture, like the one above, to represent a film, when the main characters are falling by the waistside? Bad writing. Bad moves. Sad.

Game Change

This HBO movie is a wow! We all recall when McCain announced the name of his VP choice: Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska... Who?

Well, if we did not know her then, we would come to know her as the campaign wore on. She's the one who said she could see Soviet land from Alaska. She's the one who said "you betcha!" She's the one who knew nothing about foreign policy and could not name a single newspaper she read. Remember?

The made-for-TV flick stars Ed Harris as John McCain and Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin. Both are outstanding. At times, Moore is so "right on" in her portrayal of the wannabe VP that we forget it's not the real Alaska gal herself. Step aside, Tina Fey!

Two other stars are standouts: Woody Harrelson steals the show as the campaign manager. It's amazing how Woody can go from the idiot barkeeper on Cheers to the bloodthirsty killer in Natural Born Killers to Stevie-boy in Game Change. Sarah Paulson, a little known actress, shines as the consultant hired to educate the illiterate, ill-informed Palin.

The best part of the film, however, is the amazing history lesson. The story takes us behind the scenes of a campaign in trouble. Who wanted Palin? McCain? His staff? When did the choice seem catastrophic?

I recall wondering why someone as clever as McCain would have made such a blunder. More on this topic....in the Game Change!

A must-see, even for guys like me who don't really DO politics!