'The Hunger Games' Review (Apologies for Absence of Snazzy Name)

As one of the few people who’ve never read any of the Hunger Games books, there’s no comparison between the first entry of said series and the film version. Seeing the film with an open mind and the memory of the ridiculous late advertising campaign of girls having to choose between Team Gale and Team Peeta, The Hunger Games is a treat and a much needed break from films such as those found within The Twilight Saga. Since 2008, audiences dealt with the main character being bored with the world around her. Her goal, while living within this drab world is to be bitten by the resurrection of actor James Dean to become the red-eyed vixen who will chow down with the rest of her new vampire clan on the big screen in November. Personally, why not end the Twilight series this summer? Don't tease the audience with that recent teaser trailer. If it wants to go down the ‘Harry Potter’ route of having the grand finale split into two films; the second being the special effect heavy spectacle that, hopefully, will surprise the same audience coming to see a stronger, well-built heroine this weekend, put the film against a weaker release? It worked last year. Yeah, I’m looking at you Disney. Think that having Winnie the Pooh on the same day as the final Potter film was a good idea?

Onward to the Games where Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Laurence) from District 12 volunteers in place of her sister Primrose when her name is drawn to compete in the 24-person fight to the death. For those unknown about the purpose of the Games, the creation of the tournament came about after a rebellion against The Capitol. Think ‘Occupy: Wall Street’ with the people considered to be the 1-percent in this great nation of ours battling against the corrupt government. As punishment, the country, as 12 Districts, is ordered to have all children between the ages of 12 and 18 to place their names in the drawing. Each district is represented by one male and one female of this age group with Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) from District 12 also being in the competition. No longer in the broken down coalminer village, they’re whisked away to The Capitol where the civilians bet on the Tributes along with having them pampered and dressed to be seen by the world over before getting down and dirty in the wilderness. With the purposes of everyone winning The Hungers Games differing from each other, alliances are made along with sacrifices of unnamed characters as well as constant meddling to make things difficult for the fighters. Can Katniss hold her head up to get through these hurdles? Is there something more sinister hidden between the carnage?

On the visual side, the film looks great such as the choices of colors (Example: Using duller shades of blue, gray, and brown for the downtrodden District 12) as well as the performances on screen. Jennifer Laurence is outstanding as Katniss understanding her character’s purpose within the Games as well as being able to survive on her own even when the odds are against her. She’s able to go through ranges of emotion without a hitch and is a breath of fresh air when it comes to well-written characters who young women can idolize now that the most popular vampire story, mentioned earlier, is about to end. Liam Hemsworth’s Gale is unneeded with his placement in the film only due to the love triangle that’s not one of the main focuses of the film. While seeing kids being murdered in the Games is saddening, there’s no sympathy for the unknowns who lack back stories yet are important to due to the nature of great risks being made to survive when everyone drops like flies.

Isabelle Fuhrman is incredible as Clove being more fierce and bloodthirsty than Chloe Moretz’s Hit-Girl from Kick-Ass as well as making this critic remind himself of how cruel and dangerous she was as Esther in Orphan. This is brilliant casting in my book for her as well as Alexander Ludwig as Kato. Seeing Ludwig in a successful film franchise such as this erases the memories of his past in the failed film adaptation The Seeker: The Dark is Rising with him being hungry for blood and victory by any means necessary with his team. For a man who was once half of the alien brother/sister team with great power from Race to Witch Mountain, he’s ruthless and unsympathetic. Guess that’s how it is when your district has an academy training kids to be ready for the Games whether or not their names are drawn. Woody Harrelson as mentor and Hunger Games winner Haymitch is great with his laidback attitude and dry humor. With a great eye for fashion, Lenny Kravitz is fine as Sinna whose scenes with Katniss drives the film home with seeing her as more than just a daughter of a coal miner. They’re touching to the point of wishing that there was an ad campaign for Team Sinna with the ‘What if’ scenario playing in my head of him and Katniss being together. Did I make all of the Team Gale fans cry yet? Elizabeth Bank’s Effie Trinket is worth a few laughs if not just for the make-up. Not much is said about her but she could have a major part in this film series as it continues. Stanley Tucci should be a talk show host after seeing him as Caesar clever with his words Seeing Rue (Amandla Stenberg) partnering with Katniss increases the drive of winning the Games at all cost and the events that follow connected with the character results in some of the most eye-watering and anger boiling moments seen in 2012 thus far.

Final verdict of the film: See it. With an open mind, people can accept the film for what it is and, hopefully, NOT compare it with films that have went the route of exploiting men and women killing each other for enjoyment at home on television in the past (The Running Man, The Condemned, Battle Royale). With all  of these things accomplished, the enjoyment of seeing the film and wanting to see the rest of the series on the big screen will not be spoiled. Next week's big opener isn't going to make a huge dent to this one's earnings so there's plenty of time to catch the film if the casual moviegoer is unable to do so at this time.

Next Week: Will there even be a review at all? After all that I've said and thought about this one, I wish that Snow White and the Huntsman was in theaters now rather than:

As for my take on American Reunion, I'm still thinking about it.  

Young Carrie's Cuter Than the Original? Thumbs Up in My Book

Image courtesy of collider.com

For those people who've read about what I thought about AnnaSophia Robb's latest film Soul Surfer, you'll know that it wasn't as bad as the critics made it out to be. Sure it may not have been the best bio pic people wanted to see about Bethany Hamilton (look her up people) but it's better than what's coming up the pike on her updated filmography. With word about a possible Sex in the City prequel in the talks, The Huffington Post has posted a new photo about Ms. Robb as the teen version of the character made popular by Sarah Jessica Parker of the HBO series. I have to say that I like the look. I'm not a fan of Sex and the City, especially the films, but this Carrie's cute. While The CW doesn't have a lot of fans due to its programming, save for those who've been with Supernatural back in its days on The WB, it looks like the network has found its new leading lady.

One Critic Spoils the Bunch. Send Him to the Games.

I'm not sure why but, apparently, the most hyped film of this weekend is getting negative feedback. Do I smell bullshit? Yes according to what I found from The Huffington Post. Who the hell is the one person who called the film "cheap and cheesy". I can go on a search throughout RottenTomatoes.com to find the very few people who hated the film but it's not worth it. Perhaps they wanted more blood in a film that was made to bring in more young girls to show them that their lives aren't all about silly vampire romance fan fiction becoming multi-million dollar blockbusters. The film's about one young woman who will become the figure of a much needed rebellion against the government responsible for the famous battle to the death of pre-teens and teens alike. 

Read the full story here: http://huff.to/GVX7TQ

21 Jump Street (2012) Film Review

Want to see the 21 Jump Street film review?

Check it out through here: 

http://www.tumblr.com/blog/moviedmania25

You'll find not just that, but other film reviews from the past and random findings within The Grand World of Tumblr. what are you waiting for? Check it out now!

Found Footage Films Taking Over Cineplexes

When sitting in the theater with my friend Tiffany preparing for ‘Project X’ last Tuesday night, the only memories running rampant were the ads showcasing everything from lesbians to dog humping and the many fake and legit Tweets from select audience members who were invited to earlier screenings of the film to be used to attract other people within the 18-45 age range that the film’s going for to see the biggest party of the year on screen. A found footage film about the creation of a party that was the last hurrah for the lead who’s celebrating his birthday and is about to leave high school behind is a great idea. Like ‘Chronicle’, a found footage film released in January 2012 starring three teens who gain telekinesis and the ability to fly, many cameras are used to recount all of the events unfolding to penultimate destruction. The reviews for both films are different due to character development and the directors going past creating films within the genre about demon possessed women and finding spirits that may/may not be exist. The critics admired ‘Chronicle’, to this day, as one where the lead characters “find a way to cope with the ways in which they are different from their friends and schoolmates recognizing that these powers cannot change their fundamental identities.”[1]

‘Chronicle’ gives us a strong male lead beginning as a loner from the generic high school crowd while dealing with his terminally ill mother and abusive father. His two best friends, his cousin and the most popular student at their school, are all what is keeping him sane and are also his security blanket to avoid having to deal with his world collapsing around him. They’re not bullies and try their best to make him popular even after receiving their powers after investigating a surprise hidden underground. That’s not the case with the group of teens in ‘Project X’. The non-jerks are the cameraman Dax (Dax Flame) and JB (Jonathan Daniel Brown), the heavyweight/nerdy best friend with knowledge of fingering women. The thorn in their sides is Costa (Oliver Cooper), the man with the plan of creating Thomas’ (Thomas Mann) birthday bash while, at the same time, constantly teases JB due to his weight, pull pranks with the school’s teleprompter and cares nothing about women but their chests. He’s Jonah Hill’s Seth from ‘Superbad’ without Emma Stone’s “Jules” character to pine over and without worry about whether or not he’ll keep in contact with his friends after high school. He’s already hated upon within the first two-five minutes of the film leading to asking Thomas about why bother being friends with him. Whenever something breaks in Thomas’ house during the party, he says that it can be fixed before his parents return from their anniversary. When a neighbor comes to the house in an effort to shut the party down, as well as asking the patrons to turn down the noise level, one of the too young for the party kids hired as security tasers him resulting with said child being congratulated for keeping the party from being ruined. Costa, however, can’t save the child’s face once the wielder of said taser gun is punched in the face with Dax filming the evidence for a possible court case. 

Back to ‘Chronicle’, at least the parties don’t disturb the peace but results in 1) proving that I’ve attended to better raves and 2) it’s your responsibility to ensure that you don’t drink too much lest you want to ruin the chances of getting laid for the first time because of you puking on your partner. If the number two option occurs, everyone needs to stay back. It can lead to the powers going out of control resulting in one of the greatest fights ever seen on film. This occurs with Andrew (played by Dane DeHaan) viewing his powers as the comfort and weapons needed to change his life, but, in the process, endangering others. In ‘Project X’ without the puking, being drunk along with being taken by the hand by one of the most popular women in school wanting to make sweet love with Thomas results in a cliché coming a mile away seen in many films in various genres. With the possibility of losing love and chaos ensues, the party of the century becomes a survival game. Besides seeing the patrons scatter to avoid arrest, tear gas, and a flamethrower, there are times when Thomas is unsure of how to make everything right again. The same happens with Costa, but by the time the police get involved with the party and the party’s end, mixed feelings develop. Costa, throughout the film, seems to care about only himself and giving the people a fun time without the consequences until realizing that he wants his to make sure that he, Thomas and the other men in his crew avoid being in trouble and that he can’t fix everything. While wanting to feel sorry for him, remember that there’s the possibility of Thomas not wanting a party in the magnitude seen in the film. Andrew, on the other hand, wants the people to realize what happens when a person bottles up guilt and shame caused by his actions as well as others and feeling as if no one’s available to help him make everything better.

Despite what critics have said both positively and negatively about both found footage films, I like them yet the most flawed is ‘Project X’. ‘Chronicle’ is fictional but it gives a more realistic take on dealing with the issues people deal with everyday regardless of age. Bottling up emotions can result to an end they will never see coming; a negative one that does not resolve every problem but results in loss of who they are inside and out. They become the beasts rather than being loved with the beauty within every man and woman seen from within. What lies within ‘Project X’, according to Claudia Puig of USA Today, is a film “filled with faceless crowds and nary a character resembling a human being.”[2] The film is also a laugh riot and awe as every moment taking place results as enjoying the main leads comeuppances especially for Costa. Wetting the appetites of lovers of the film and increasing the anger of every reviewer hating the film with the tacked-on sequel bit at the end is a bit better than that of ’21 Jump Street’s where it’ll make Nick Cannon’s ‘Underclassman’s an instant classic. As for what to expect within the March 16^th release, that’s another story.

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[1] Berardinelli, James. “Chronicle”. Reelviews Movie Reviews. http://www.reelviews.net/php_review_template.php?identifier=2417 2012, February 3

[2] Puig, Claudia. “’Project X’ Fails in Every Endeavor”. USA Today. 2012, March 2, Movie Review. 

Robertson a Disappointment to God and His Worshipers

I never think I would say this but I can't WAIT for him to get his just desserts. When I heard about a mother losing her legs when saving her kids during the tornadoes from last week earlier this morning, that really caught my attention and made me well up though tears weren't shed. The same guy who claimed that Hurricane Katrina was caused because of the sins caused by the people in New Orleans now blames the tornadoes due to the people's lack of prayer. You know the name. You know the hate has begun and will increase. I think that he should just lose his popular religious show because he doesn't know anything about true sacrifice. He think he cares for the people? He thinks he's a follower and worshiper of the Lord Almighty?! He's a fucking fool and that's it!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/05/pat-robertson-tornadoes-prayer_n_1321686.html?ref=mostpopular

I won't go as far as to explain the reason he should also leave the LGBT community alone as you scroll down to watch the second video. You know how I feel about him from above.

'The Lorax' Preview

This post was written originally on March 02, 2012, but here it is now for your viewing pleasure.

“I’m not one to go commercial very easily. I like my little creatures kept in their little circle.”

Words spoken by the widow of the great Dr. Seuss a.k.a. Theodor Geisel in last Friday’s USA Today may not be what Hollywood execs want to hear if they begin to ask if they can make celebrities out of Yurtle the Turtle or Daisy-Head Mayzie. If she feels that the cherished tales written by her husband were sabotaged throughout the years past their animated incarnations starting from the year 2000, there’s a possibility that can be the truth. While youngsters will enjoy Ron Howard’s take on ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’, those men and women who saw the film, whether it was the first time hearing about the character, is on the verge of beginning to read Dr. Seuss’ books, or seen the Chuck Jones cartoon, memories of the film being a bit raunchy for its audience might be what they can remember. Never mind the bits about him wanting to steal the holidays away from the people of Who-ville. Wanting the entire town to kiss his butt cheeks with mistletoe placed above it burns within the mind even for today. Never mind about the unfunny ‘The Cat in the Hat’ and skip over to ‘Horton Hears a Who’. The latter actually manages to avoid being set in live-action and is remodeled to fit within that where CGI roams free giving plenty of opportunities to make the characters a bit more silly to get the audience in chuckles. The film, however, has its flaws especially when the lone Who, Jojo (voiced by Jesse McCartney), helps the town, a speck of dust on a flower, from being destroyed. He could have been done without him looking tired as if the character represented the fans of the classic stories for being through the mud of seeing everything held so dear in the audience’s childhoods being torn apart for the sake of major studios wanting money from the sugar filled pancakes from iHop to SUVs being driven within the forest that The Lorax fails to prevent due to the vehicle’s pollution. In 2012, Universal Pictures takes another stab with wanting to stay close to Dr. Seuss’ classic tale about the forest guardian yet the advertising, with the examples stated above, have the fans shaking their heads again in shame.         

The story of ‘The Lorax’, from someone who has never read the book, is about Ted (voiced by Zac Efron) trying to impressing the beautiful but too old for him red-headed environmentalist neighbor Audrey (voiced by Taylor Swift) by going out to see the Once-ler (voiced by Ed Helms) after being told by said neighbor that the world, once upon a time, was filled with real trees rather than the artificial ones operated through the town. The task becomes complicated once the film’s antagonist, and possibly another crooked mayor, Mr. O’Hare (voiced by Rob Riggle) wants to ensure that the plan to repopulating the world of the trees is foiled. Between a villain that would fit right at home with the rivaling bad guys from Illumination’s first film in partnership with Universal, ‘Despicable Me’, the flashbacks about how the Once-ler became who was seen in the trailer, and the “love” story between Ted and Audrey, some fans have asked themselves, “What about The Lorax”? Some fans will see the film as “a bloated mess of a movie stuffed to the gills with all the same boring tropes and cliches we've seen in every other animated movie ever made, bogged down with whichever celebrity voice actors they think will get the biggest box office returns…”[1] Some families might read the book at the local library and save their money. 

The film, so far, has a 63% rating on rottentomatoes.com which doesn’t sound bad but isn’t good news either. It’s doing better than another film opening this weekend, ‘Project X’, but deciding on who’ll win the Box Office this weekend is entirely up to the people. After this film, let’s not speak about another Dr. Seuss adaptation in about another ten years. Go on and continue ruining the legends of vampires, werewolves and zombies. Oh you didn’t know there’s a love story that’s soon to become a full fledged film with a zombie? That’s for another time.

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[1] Warner, J.B. “The Lorax (Pre-Release Talkback)”. http://www.toonzone.net/forums/showthread.php?288024-The-Lorax-%28Pre-Release-Talkback%29. 2012, February 27.