The Hunger Games (and News)

Warning: May contain spoilers  
The Hunger Games is a 2012 American dystopian science fiction action-drama film directed by Gary Ross and based on the novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins. It stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Hemsworth, and Woody Harrelson. It was released on March 21, 2012 in France and other countries and internationally on March 23, 2012 in both conventional theaters and digital IMAX theaters. [Wikipedia]
Plot:
In 2112, the nation of Panem has risen out of the ruins of what was once known as North America. Due to an unsuccessful uprising by the districts of Panem, a raffle (known as the "reaping") is held to choose one boy and one girl (ranging from ages 12–18) from each of the twelve districts to participate in the Hunger Games, a competition in which each contestant (known as the "tributes") battles until only one is left. The winner or victor receives fame and fortune. The Hunger Games are a yearly reminder to the 12 districts of the Capitol's authority and punishment for their rebellion over 70 years ago in which the 13th district was destroyed.

In District 12, sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) cares for her mother (Paula Malcomson) and her sister Primrose "Prim" (Willow Shields) since her father died in a mine accident when she was 11. Each year, since the age of 12, Katniss' name has been placed in the reaping more than once. In return for taking this extra annual risk, she receives extra grain and oil for her family. In addition, Katniss has been illegally hunting for food outside the boundary fences of District 12 with her friend Gale (Liam Hemsworth), whose father died in the same mining accident.
Prim, now age 12, has her name placed in the reaping for the first time—only once—and it is unexpectedly drawn. Katniss volunteers to replace her sister in the Games. She competes against other tributes, including Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), the male tribute from District 12, who has secretly loved Katniss since childhood and who once showed her a kindness she could never forget. [Wikipedia]

Bear with me, this is a long review, haha, and I have some news at the end.

I'll start off by saying this is an excellent movie (especially in the theater)! Of course not as in-depth as I may have liked (no movie really ever gets as close to the book as we'd like, though the Lord of the Rings was very close), but more emotional than I expected other than in a few areas where the silence didn't seem as epic as I think it was supposed to be (and the excessive shaky-cam scenes).
Movies seem to have more power in the emotional area than most books, because you are actually seeing the pain and anguish on their faces, rather than just reading it.

I won't lie, I all but cried towards the end of the movie, and while Rue's death was the saddest part of the book, there were several parts in the movie that were tear jerkers.

I hear a lot about how popular the book was before the movie was gaining momentum, but I had never heard about it till maybe November last year, and only then because some fan of it invited me to a deviantart group for fans of the books.
Not until the trailers came out did I actually read go and all three books (and in less than 8 hours each, haha). Good series.

Now, a lot of purist fans of The Hunger Games will point out that there are quite a few things in the movie that were slightly different. They took out Madge's character, they shortened a few scenes, they didn't make some of the wounds as bad as they were in the book (Peeta actually gets to keep his leg!), the hallucinations weren't surreal, the scene where Rue died was different, the scene where Katniss finds Peeta by the river didn't have the lines "Are you here to finish me off, sweetheart?", Thresh didn't say "Did you kill him?", etc, etc.
So many small things were shortened, but I don't think it damaged it hardly at all. The upsides are they added in all the awesome tech that the book never mentioned (but make total sense), even made it almost too futuristic, lol, considering that the whole movie is about a girl with a bow and arrows.

Now, on the costumes, sets, and other such stuff. When I saw the trailer I thought that Peeta and Katniss's coal-black presentation suits were a bit.....uhh.....odd, I suppose. After watching the movie I liked them better, but there wasn't quite enough fire, I don't think. XD
Her dress was pretty awesome though, even if she was pretty nervous at the time and they forgot to mention her favorite soup!! (for those of you who don't know, in the book the Host asks her what she liked most when she got to the Capitol, and she said a certain dish of food, that was funny!).

Now, District 12! It looked more wooded than I imagined. Sure, I knew it was in a forested area, but I imagined inside of the city gates to be more town like - with much less trees. Something more bare and flat, where you'd be able to see the populace, not allow them to hide. *shrug*
The set for the Game itself was pretty good, even if the cornucopia was the wrong color, and the set for the Control Room (you can see the concept art for this room HERE. It's pretty awesome.) was very sci-fi and cool.

Now on the the romance. I'm no big fan of romance, but they didn't quite play up to what's in the book here - they kept flashing back to Gale and making us feel bad for him. In the book most of the story telling at that point forgot about Gale and had Haymitch encouraging the mushy stuff for the sake of more sponsors and the fans - which Katniss went along with. Also, in the book Katniss liked both of them, but really did not want any children of her own that could ever be taken away and put into the Games. There is a lot of internal struggle in the book.

According to YahooMovies, it's said that Jennifer Lawrence is contracted to do the movies for the other two books.....but that's only if they make them, I guess. I rather like Lawrence for some reason, even if she doesn't portray Katniss quite as headstrong - and I think she played Mystique decently well in X-Men First Class. In this movie they didn't show much of Katniss's inner turmoil, but I bet that'd be hard to act anyway.
As for President Snow, Donald Sutherland doesn't seem sinister enough of a guy to play that evil of a man - or at least in my head while reading it I made him much creepier.
Now, for the other characters, I liked Cinna better than I thought I would, and Rue was also better than I thought after seeing the trailer, but I still imagine Rue as a petite semi-creepily-beautiful long black-haired French girl or similar - as I did in the book even if that isn't actually what it said in the book, or at least native american. lol. Katniss herself was supposed to be kind of olive skinned if I remember correctly.
Peeta, on the other hand, I don't know. Josh Hutcherson isn't a favorite of mine for some reason, but he played his part well enough.

I also thought the political aspects of the book were interesting, and I saw this article on it if you thought so too: http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/hunger-games-politics-223719796.html

Other downsides for the book/film would be that it is kids killing kids in a gruesome televised game, which is kind of different than regular violence. I'd also have to agree with Shena Tokala from "Pens, Thespians, and Words" when she mentioned how people are merchandising this film. I really like the mockingjay logo and a bunch of other things (even dressing up like Capitol snobs), but wanting to be a tribute or emulating the Gamemakers is just weird. The Games are a horrid act by the Capitol, and not something taken lightly by anyone but the before-said snobs in the Capitol. That is why in the next books they rebel! (teaser for those who haven't read 'em, haha)
That said, this isn't a little kids movie. As one reviewer put it, "if they aren't old enough to be in the reaping, they shouldn't be watching it.", though that minimum would be 12, and I'd suggest no less than 13.

I'm totally looking forward to the movies about the other books, but I hear Book 2 isn't going to be out into a movie till December 2013. :-/ I bet they are having a huge amount of difficulties with that one, lol, though Book 3 would be even harder.

What's it rated: PG-13 for violence, especially that which is from teen vs. teen.
What do I rate it? 9.1 out of 10! There could be some room for improvement in the next film, so I hope that one gets a 9.9. ;-)
Would I watch it again? Many times! lol


Okay, now to the News!


And that news is that I'm leaving for awhile, and thus won't be able to post for a few months. I hope NuttyNinja picks up the slack 'til I get back. ;-D

Thor (and anticipation for The Avengers)

Thor is a 2011 American superhero film based on the comic book character of the same name published by Marvel Comics. It is the fourth film released as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film was directed by Kenneth Branagh, written by Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz and Don Payne, and stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins and Stellan Skarsgård. The film tells the story of Thor, a god who is exiled from his homeland of Asgard to Earth. While there, he forms a relationship with Jane Foster, a scientist. However, Thor must stop his brother Loki, who intends to become the new king of Asgard.

Sam Raimi first developed the concept of a film adaptation of Thor in 2001, but soon abandoned the project, leaving it in "development hell" for several years. During this time, the rights were picked up by various film studios until Marvel Studios signed Mark Protosevich to develop the project in 2006, and Paramount Pictures bought the film rights. Matthew Vaughn was originally assigned to direct the film for a tentative 2010 release. However, after Vaughn was released from his holding deal in 2008, Branagh was approached and the film's release was rescheduled into 2011. The main characters were cast in 2009, and principal photography took place in California and New Mexico from January to May 2010. The film was converted to 3D in post-production.
Thor was released on April 21, 2011 in Australia and on May 6, 2011 in the United States. The film became a financial and critical success, grossing over $448 million worldwide and "Certified Fresh" by the review-aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. The DVD and Blu-ray sets were released on September 13, 2011. A sequel, set for a November 15, 2013, release, is in development. [Wikipedia]

Storyline:
In A.D. 965, Odin (Anthony Hopkins), king of Asgard, wages war against the Frost Giants of Jotunheim and their leader Laufey (Colm Feore), to prevent them from conquering the nine realms, starting with Earth. The Asgardian warriors defeat the Frost Giants and seize the source of their power, the Casket of Ancient Winters.
In the present, Odin's son Thor (Chris Hemsworth) prepares to ascend to the throne of Asgard, but is interrupted when Frost Giants attempt to retrieve the Casket. Against Odin's order, Thor travels to Jotunheim to confront Laufey, accompanied by his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), childhood friend Sif (Jaimie Alexander) and the Warriors Three: Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), Fandral (Joshua Dallas) and Hogun (Tadanobu Asano). A battle ensues until Odin intervenes to save the Asgardians, destroying the fragile truce between the two races. For Thor's arrogance, Odin strips his son of his godly power and exiles him to Earth as a mortal, accompanied by his hammer Mjolnir (the source of his power) now protected by an enchantment to allow only the worthy to wield it.
Thor lands in New Mexico, where astrophysicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), her assistant Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) and mentor Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård), find him. The local populace finds Mjolnir, which S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) soon commandeers before forcibly acquiring Jane's data about the wormhole that delivered Thor to Earth. [Wikipedia]

This movie was pretty condensed, even if it was only 6min short of two hours long. It was nothing like Thor's story according to the animated show "The Avengers", but I guess that's fine, they only had two hours.
However, changing the things they did makes it harder for Thor to join the Avenger's team when that movie comes out (he destroyed the rainbow bridge). I'm not sure I understand that part, as the Capt. America and Iron Man movies transition real well into the Avenger's plot line.
Then there is this deal with Loki. It looks like he died here, but in the trailers for The Avengers.....there he is! Of course, he can transport himself places, right? How can one who teleports die by a fall? Right. So that makes some sense, I guess. I can't wait for The Avengers to come out, then it will all make sense, lol. How about you?

Also, I don't know if I liked Jane Foster better as a medic or a scientist, but I think Portman played her decently well.

What's it rated: PG-13 for some drinking and violence, etc.
What do I rate it: I thought it was going to be the whole history, but I guess the Avengers are kinda part of that history, so I'll give it an 8 out of 10.
Would I watch it again? Yes, but not more than twice over, lol.

P.S. New Layout! Do you like it?

Real Steel

Real Steel is a 2011 American science fiction action film starring Hugh Jackman and co-produced and directed by Shawn Levy. The film is based in part on the 1956 short story "Steel" by Richard Matheson, though screenwriter John Gatins placed the film in U.S. state fairs and other "old-fashioned" Americana settings. Real Steel was in development for several years before production began on June 11, 2010. Filming took place primarily in the U.S. state of Michigan. Animatronic robots were built for the film, and motion capture technology was used to depict the brawling of computer-generated robots and animatronics. Real Steel was publicly released in Australia on October 6, 2011, and in the United States and Canada on October 7, 2011, to mixed reviews. It was released in both conventional and IMAX theaters. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 84th Academy Awards. [Wikipedia]

Synopsis: In 2020, human boxers have been replaced by robot boxers. Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) is a former boxer who fights with such boxing robots - in both sanctioned and unsanctioned battles.
Besides some swearing and the obvious violence this is a clean movie about a father who didn't really want a son, and had money trouble, but after spending a summer together fighting with robots they formed a bond. [KnightlySamurai]

Review by:
This movie had been on my "To Watch" list for quite awhile, and I've finally gotten to watch it! Which is surprising because I don't normally like boxing, but I like robot fighting flicks so I'm good. ;-D
I was actually expecting it to be a little different when I had watched the trailer. I had thought the robots were from further in the future and almost completely autonomous - but had to be taught how to box (like Zeus, but with Atom's training needed), so it would be more about how they were trained than how they were programmed, like real boxers. I'm sure after the fight at the end that would become the new trend, haha.

One of the downsides of this movie has to do with the plot, being that the ending is a sort of cliffhanger! You don't get to see what happens, and I much expected to see a redesigned and shiny Atom walking about at the end, too. lol. Oh well.
Another is that Atom seems to sometimes be mimicking and sometimes mirroring Charlie's moves (Atom is fighting Zeus right handed, while Hugh Jackman is left-handed). I guess it doesn't matter, though who knew that Wolverine was a lefty?? Haha. He didn't look like Wolverine, either, without more hair.

"The People's Champion? Sounds pretty good to me"

What's it rated? PG-13 for some violence, intense action and brief language (one or two uses of the s word, and some other minor expletives).
What do I rate it? A solid 8 1/2 out of 10 overall - which could have been 9 if they added a bit more oomph to the fights and CGI, as well as put in a better looking ending.
Would I watch it again? Maybe, but only if I was watching with someone who hadn't watched it.

Hugo

Hugo is a 2011 3D adventure drama film based on Brian Selznick's novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret about a boy who lives alone in a Paris railway station and the enigmatic owner of a toy shop there. It is directed by Martin Scorsese and written by John Logan. It is a co-production of Graham King's GK Films and Johnny Depp's Infinitum Nihil. The film stars Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Ray Winstone, Emily Mortimer, Jude Law and Christopher Lee.
At the 84th Academy Awards, Hugo received five Oscars—for cinematography, art direction, visual effects, sound, and sound editing—and its 11 total nominations was the most for the evening. Hugo also won two BAFTAs and was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards, earning Scorsese his third Golden Globe Award for Best Director. [Wikipedia]

"In 1931, Hugo Cabret, a 12-year-old boy, lives with his widowed father, a master clockmaker in Paris. Hugo's father takes him to see films and particularly loves the films of Georges Méliès. Hugo's father dies in a museum fire, and Hugo is taken away by his uncle, an alcoholic watchmaker who is responsible for maintaining the clocks in the railway station Gare Montparnasse. His uncle teaches him to take care of the clocks and then disappears.

Hugo lives between the walls of the station, maintaining the clocks, stealing food and working on his father's most ambitious project: repairing a broken automaton, a mechanical man who is supposed to write with a pen. Convinced the automaton contains a message from his father, Hugo goes to desperate lengths to fix it. He steals mechanical parts to repair the automaton, but he is caught by a toy store owner, Georges Méliès, who takes Hugo's notebook from him, with notes and drawings for fixing the automaton.

To recover the notebook, Hugo follows Méliès to his house and meets Isabelle, an orphan close to his age and Georges' goddaughter. She promises to help. The next day, Méliès gives some ashes to Hugo, referring to them as the notebook's remains, but Isabelle informs him that the notebook was not burnt. Finally Méliès agrees that Hugo may earn the notebook back by working for him until he pays for all the things he stole from the shop.
Hugo works in the toy shop, and in his time off manages to fix the automaton, but it is still missing one part—a heart–shaped key." [Wikipedia]

Review: Knightly Samurai

This is as much a family movie as one can get, pretty much. No language, no bad jokes, no needless violence, or anything!
The only downsides are a few plot holes, one slightly odd dream, and one scene where a character appears drunk.

I hadn't heard anyone else mention the plot holes, so I'll explain:

Whether or not Hugo needed the notebook full of notes to fix the automaton or not, we never see what happens to the notebook! We see it burned, but then are told that was faked and it wasn't burned - so where is it??

Near the end, we also have the cop (shown right-->) learn that the guy who normally wound the clocks at the station has likely been dead for over a month, and is confused as to who is actually running the clocks.
Later we see him chasing Hugo in the clock tower, and are only left to assume that he now knows who's been running the clocks - but do we? Nothing at all is said then or afterward about the clocks - nothing! Sure, it's a trivial bit there, but I noticed it.

All-in-all though it was a good family movie, not awesome (cause I like more action) but very clean and good, with a good pace.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Christopher Lee (Count Dooku, Saruman, Monsieur Labisse in Hugo) in it! His voice is a little sinister for a librarian who doesn't play a sinister part perhaps, but it's an awesome voice, and he played his part well.

What's it rated: PG
What do I rate it: 8 1/3 out of 10!
Who would I recommend this to: Just about everyone, though not to hard-core Action Flick watchers unless they like both sides of the spectrum. It's a family movie with some mystery involved, so I'd recommend this to kids and families who like mystery movies with less action (and drinking) than Tintin.


To Happy Watching!
~KnightlySamurai

P.S.: Forgot to mention I found another site with a review on this. Check it out! http://cosmictwinsmedia.com/2011/12/20/hugo/