6/10
I haven't read the book, but I was increasingly excited about seeing this movie. I liked the concept, liked the trailers and I really enjoyed Jennifer Lawrence's performance in Winters Bone.
The Hunger Games is set in a world (North Amercica/Earth) that has had an 'event' of some description (not explained in the film). The event has led to a world where the rich live lavish lifestyles in the Capitol and the workers are situated in 12 different districts. The rich use 'The Hunger Games' as a yearly event to help keep the poor subjugated and in their place (i.e.just enough hope to keep them going but not enough to lead to rebellion). 2 children/teenagers from each of the 12 districts (1 boy and 1 girl) fight to the death in a man-made environment.
Think Truman Show meets Battle Royale.
Firstly, let me say that Jennifer Lawrence is excellent in the film. Make no mistake, she is a star. She's defiant, capable, vulnerable and is the essence of 'girl power'!
The film is worth seeing for Jennifer alone, but I wasn't that convinced by the rest of it. Gary Ross' direction of the film is too choppy (and the editing was really quite poor and devalued the sory telling process from a visual point of view) - it's doesn't help any of the emotional scenes hit the target. In addition, juggling the demands of a 12A film rating and creating a film about young people brutally murdering one another is always going to be a tough ask. Despite the swords, knives, arrows, explosions etc. there is no blood. For me, this took away the sense of real threat from the movie and I lost any sense of fear I might have had for the protagonists.
Perhaps, at 39 years old, I'm too old for this movie? I think that teenage boys and girls will love it (as was the case in the cinema when I watched it!). Perhaps I was looking forward to seeing the film too much after the hype? Whatever the reason, it didn't leave me hungry for more.
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Contraband - Tuesday 20th March 2012
6.5/10
Mark Wahlberg plays Chris Farraday, an ex-smuggler of contraband goods via the shipping lanes of New Orleans. He's left the life of crime behind him and settled down with his wife Kate (played by Kate Beckinsale) and their 2 sons. When Kate's younger brother get's in trouble during a failed smuggling attempt, he attracts the wrath of the local crime boss, Tim Briggs (played by Giovanni Ribisi). Chris is forced back into the smuggling game to attempt to cover the losses and call Tim off.
It's a solid affair - Mark Wahlberg plays the blue-collar 'everyman' very well, and he's a very likeable on-screen actor. Kate Beckinsale plays the pretty, caring wife well enough and you do care for the wellbeing of the couple. This is fairly essential to the telling of the story, because Giovanni Ribisi commits to his villain character 100%; he's a nasty piece of work - the antithesis of Kate's sweet, family-loving charater. He's really fun to watch and is probably the best thing about the film.
Apart from Ribisi, there's nothing really exceptionally good or new about Contraband, but the characters are solid, the set-up is just believeable enough to care, and there's a good degree of tension.
There's a dissapointing lack of 'denoument' but, overall, I thought is was pretty good.
Mark Wahlberg plays Chris Farraday, an ex-smuggler of contraband goods via the shipping lanes of New Orleans. He's left the life of crime behind him and settled down with his wife Kate (played by Kate Beckinsale) and their 2 sons. When Kate's younger brother get's in trouble during a failed smuggling attempt, he attracts the wrath of the local crime boss, Tim Briggs (played by Giovanni Ribisi). Chris is forced back into the smuggling game to attempt to cover the losses and call Tim off.
It's a solid affair - Mark Wahlberg plays the blue-collar 'everyman' very well, and he's a very likeable on-screen actor. Kate Beckinsale plays the pretty, caring wife well enough and you do care for the wellbeing of the couple. This is fairly essential to the telling of the story, because Giovanni Ribisi commits to his villain character 100%; he's a nasty piece of work - the antithesis of Kate's sweet, family-loving charater. He's really fun to watch and is probably the best thing about the film.
Apart from Ribisi, there's nothing really exceptionally good or new about Contraband, but the characters are solid, the set-up is just believeable enough to care, and there's a good degree of tension.
There's a dissapointing lack of 'denoument' but, overall, I thought is was pretty good.
Wednesday, 14 March 2012
The Raven - Tuesday 13 March 2012
7/10
The film aggregator site, Rotten Tomatoes, currently scores The Raven at 26% based on various 'critic' scores. I like Rotten Tomatoes and normally think that the scores are pretty accurate, but I think they've got this one wrong.
If you, like the critics, want an insight into the life, times and literarary works of Edgar Allen Poe, then you might be dissapointed. If you want a solid, creepy, sometimes gory, gothic, cop-chase-serial killer movie, then you'll find plenty to enjoy.
John Cusack plays Poe, during the last week of his life in 1840's Baltimore. This is a good role for Cusack and it's good to see him play a 'showy' role, rather than his usual 'cool/calm' character roles.
Poe is struggling to make a living as a writer and is filling his spare time by drinking. He's got no money and is desperate for his newspaper to publish some of his latest works - but the editor is not convinced it's what his readers want. They want 'blood and gore' like his earlier works...
Meanwhile, some murders start happening that take cues from some of Poe's stories (there's one particularly grisly death in true pit and pendulum style). Poe is, of course, implicated and is interviewed by the local Detective Emmett Fields, played excellently by Brit-actor Luke Evans. Fields and Poe work togther to unravel the clues left on each murder victim to ultimately, catch the killer and save the life of Poe's kidnapped girlfriend.
The film is a little unevenly directed by James McTeigue, but the story is well told, both in script and visual terms. The denoument is quite nicely set-up and filmed, with logic behind both the finding of the killer and the motives behind it.
All-in-all, it's a solid and entertaining affair.
The film aggregator site, Rotten Tomatoes, currently scores The Raven at 26% based on various 'critic' scores. I like Rotten Tomatoes and normally think that the scores are pretty accurate, but I think they've got this one wrong.
If you, like the critics, want an insight into the life, times and literarary works of Edgar Allen Poe, then you might be dissapointed. If you want a solid, creepy, sometimes gory, gothic, cop-chase-serial killer movie, then you'll find plenty to enjoy.
John Cusack plays Poe, during the last week of his life in 1840's Baltimore. This is a good role for Cusack and it's good to see him play a 'showy' role, rather than his usual 'cool/calm' character roles.
Poe is struggling to make a living as a writer and is filling his spare time by drinking. He's got no money and is desperate for his newspaper to publish some of his latest works - but the editor is not convinced it's what his readers want. They want 'blood and gore' like his earlier works...
Meanwhile, some murders start happening that take cues from some of Poe's stories (there's one particularly grisly death in true pit and pendulum style). Poe is, of course, implicated and is interviewed by the local Detective Emmett Fields, played excellently by Brit-actor Luke Evans. Fields and Poe work togther to unravel the clues left on each murder victim to ultimately, catch the killer and save the life of Poe's kidnapped girlfriend.
The film is a little unevenly directed by James McTeigue, but the story is well told, both in script and visual terms. The denoument is quite nicely set-up and filmed, with logic behind both the finding of the killer and the motives behind it.
All-in-all, it's a solid and entertaining affair.
Thursday, 8 March 2012
Wanderlust - Weds 7th March 2012
6/10
Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston play Linda and George, a couple trying to get-by in NYC. They buy a flat that's too small and too expensive, and then George loses his job. This forces them to travel to George's brothers house to sort themeslves out. On the way, they come across a hippy commune founded in 1971 by Carvin (played by Alan Alda). A process of enlightenment ensues and it's all hunky-dory in the end.
It's not hard to like both Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston as leading actors - they're like your best friends on screen - but it's harder to like the film as a whole. The main problem is that's it's very formulaic - you will have seen this film many, many times before and you know exactly what will happen. Many of the gags are a little flat and I only really laughed when some out-takes were shown at the beginning of the credits. The cast appeared to have a great time making the film but Director, Paul Wain, doesn't translate this onto the screen as he should have done (unlike other 'Apatow' films such as Knocked Up or Stuck on You - both of which I much preferred).
I'm probably being a bit mean-spirited! This film is nice enough and most people will leave the cinema entertained even if their sides hadn't split.
Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston play Linda and George, a couple trying to get-by in NYC. They buy a flat that's too small and too expensive, and then George loses his job. This forces them to travel to George's brothers house to sort themeslves out. On the way, they come across a hippy commune founded in 1971 by Carvin (played by Alan Alda). A process of enlightenment ensues and it's all hunky-dory in the end.
It's not hard to like both Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston as leading actors - they're like your best friends on screen - but it's harder to like the film as a whole. The main problem is that's it's very formulaic - you will have seen this film many, many times before and you know exactly what will happen. Many of the gags are a little flat and I only really laughed when some out-takes were shown at the beginning of the credits. The cast appeared to have a great time making the film but Director, Paul Wain, doesn't translate this onto the screen as he should have done (unlike other 'Apatow' films such as Knocked Up or Stuck on You - both of which I much preferred).
I'm probably being a bit mean-spirited! This film is nice enough and most people will leave the cinema entertained even if their sides hadn't split.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)