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!

Drive Angry

I just saw this goody again...wow, what fun! If I were to suggest just ONE fantastic, mindless, action film with great chase scenes, solid characters, and a weird but engaging plot, this one is it!

No spoiler, as usual. Here's the basic gist of the film:

Amber Heard, the pretty blonde in the picture above, is on the lam. She is aided by Nicolas Cage. Each is superb in his/her role: Amber sets a new bar for a tough, gritty, no-nonsense, kickass female. She uses her fists, feet, and more to fend off the bad dudes! She cusses out the evil perps with miraculous invectives worthy of a guy!

Nicolas is a hellion of sorts too...HELL being the operant word. He has a HELL of a temper, and a HELL of a driving skill, and a HELL of a lot of resilience to bullets! Huh? Find out for yourselves, dear readers! Point is, you know Mr. Cage. He does acting, plain and simple. I find him one of the best there is in Hollywood. Remember him in Leaving Las Vegas? How about Con Man? This guy is good!

Drive Angry is creative...not just your average shoot-em-up movie.

Take this DVD for a spin...and drive into a wild and crazy world!

Walking Dead (TV)

The Walking Dead TV series made a huge blunder this week: It killed off its central, best, most important and most likable character. That's him above. He is called Dale. The grizzled elder survivor was the voice of reason. He argued on behalf of humanity, trying to take the high road in a desolate, harsh new world and reminding his peers of the importance of caring for others. When the writers killed him off this week, they destroyed the show. I predict the ratings will now plummet and the series will reach an early demise. Bummer. I really liked this one.

Wicked (play)

Wicked is not (yet) a movie. But occasionally on our film blog site, Valerie and I take the liberty of going beyond the big screen. After all, a play is a visual experience with many similarities to film...it's just real people on a real stage.

Sometimes I feel like David the warrior who takes on Goliath. Audiences everywhere RAVE about this play. Last night, there was a standing ovation that was almost beyond belief. The applause was so loud I had to cover my ears!

Yeah, folks, I'm not an enthusiast. Here's the basic gist of the story, with NO SPOILER, as usual: Those two ladies in the picture above, the good witch and the wicked witch, are back in the Land of Oz. This time, however, it's not about Dorothy and Toto working their way up the yellow brick road.

It's about the two witches. It's a love/hate fest, sort of, with the two girls battling it out.

Not a bad premise, I suppose, except for a few major flaws: The film is a rip-off of the Wizard of Oz, one of the most creative stories ever written. I'm not big on stories that build on others' reputations or originality. Then there's the problem of a play in search of a real theme. Again, no spoiler, but in the play we have touches of the following themes:

Meanness, as in Mean Girls

Valley Girl-itis, as in Clueless

Evil, as in The Bad Seed

Goodness, as in Mary Poppins

Girl Friendship, as in Bridesmaids

Animal Effects, as in Lion King

And so many more, mish-moshed, disheveled, partial ideas or themes that are mildly touched upon and not fully developed.

One might say that there are maybe 20 or so minor stories in the big story. Yeah, it's a topical mess. Valerie, if this were an English essay, you'd red-ink it for lack of focus.

More: It was sooooooooo long! About two hours before the intermission and an hour afterward. This work needed editing!

Songs? None really memorable. I am not singing any, as I often do when I leave a good musical or stage play.

A plus: Costuming, singing (the two leads only...the others were very weak), and effects.

Frankly, I could have left after the intermission. But then, I would have missed the standing ovation at the end...wish I could just be a sheep, sometimes, and join the mindless herd.

Well, no, I'll stay a free-thinker. But I might watch my step today lest someone in the street stone me for my very diverse and negative opinion!

Sky High

Would I be reviewing a kiddie film if I had not spent a great weekend with my two wonderful granddaughters? Of course not! But the girls (8 and 10) wore me out after trips to toy and ice cream stores, and by late afternoon it was film time. And what a fun film it was!

Made back in 2005, this truly imaginative, highly entertaining flick starred Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston...two big name stars! That's them in the background of the picture above. They are super heroes, fighting for truth, justice, and the American Way!

There's just one slight problem: They have a sweet young adolescent boy, age 14, who is just your average Joe. He likes girls, computers, and hangs out in his room. Will he or will he not develop super powers like his parents?

No biggie, you say?

Not to this family!

This boy HAS to follow in the family tradition!

Thus: TENSION! (OK, that's all I'll say, consistent with my no-spoiler manners!)

Well, the boy will PROBABLY develop his powers some day, so off he goes to the high school for super-powered kids...the one up in the sky! It's SKY HIGH, get it?

Haha! So much fun, so many smiles, as you watch this Disney delight! OK, Valerie, it's got some young folks' romance in it, but it's very innocent and definitely appropriate for kids of 14!

So if you want to escape our wonderful adult world (with all its heavy-duty concerns), go back and watch this very innocent, very captivating young person's film.

I won't tell if you don't have grandkids by your side!