Game On! The Hunger Games are here.

  If you are a female between the age of 12 and 35, Christmas has just come early. The Hunger Games are here. I walked out of the theatre and saw the lines of young girls already formed for tickets to see the teen drama. While it is less sappy than Twilight, it is certainly a story that we have probably seen before. Let's put people in an environment where they are forced to fight for their lives. The Running Man, The Condemned, and Surviving the Game. These came first and most guys have seen it done. Why is their so much hype surrounding this book/movie? Probably because this one is for the young ladies.

 The Hunger Games is set in a post apocalyptic North America called "Panem." The rich and powerful live in the Capitol and control the other twelve districts. It's an interesting concept.
As punishment for a previous rebellion against the Capitol in which a 13th district was destroyed, one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 from each district are selected by annual lottery to participate in the Hunger Games, an event in which the participants (called "tributes") must fight in an outdoor arena controlled by the Capitol, until only one remains. The movie follows 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, a girl from the Appalachian region of District 12 who , a baker's son whom Katniss knows from school, who once gvolunteers for the 74th annual Hunger Games when her sister Primrose (Willow Shields) is selected.  Peeta Mallark is also selected from the district. He once gave Katniss bread when she was starving. He also has a crush on her, but has not told her his feelings yet. Gale (Liam Hemsworth), her best friend and hunting partner, gives her advice for the games. She promises her sister that she will try and win and makes her mom promise to take care of them.

 Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) are taken to the Capitol where their drunken mentor, Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson), winner of a previous games, instructs them to watch and learn the talents of the other tributes. They are then put on display to the Capitol audience in a televised session with interviewer Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci). It is here that Peeta reveals on-air his long-time unrequited love for Katniss. She  believes this to be a ploy to gain audience support for the Games, which can be crucial for survival, as audience members are encouraged to send gifts like food, medicine, and supplies to their favorites during the Games. The Games begin with 11 of the 24 tributes dying in the first day, while Katniss relies on her well-practiced hunting and outdoor skills to survive. The death toll increases as the games progress. increases. Katniss develops an alliance with Rue (Amanda Stenberg), a 12-year-old girl from District 11 who reminds Katniss of her younger sister.. During a plan to destroy the supplies of the others: Rue is killed by another tribute. Katniss sings to her, then spreads flowers over her body as a sign of respect—and of disgust towards the Capitol. She then holds up the sign for District 11 for the world to see.

Supposedly due to Katniss and Peeta's beloved image in the minds of the audience as "star-crossed lovers", a rule change is announced midway through the Games, stating that two tributes from the same district can win.  Katniss searches for Peeta and eventually finds him wounded. As she nurses him back to health, she acts the part of  falling in love to gain more favor with the audience and from her sponsors. After they become the final two, the Game makers reverse the rule change in an attempt to force them into a dramatic finale, where one must kill the other to win. Katniss, knowing that the Game makers would rather have two victors than none, retrieves highly poisonous berries, that she had kept earlier, and offers some to Peeta. Upon realizing that Katniss and Peeta intend to commit suicide, the Game makers announce that both will be the victors of the 74th Hunger Games.

  She survives the Games and is treated to a hero's welcome in the Capitol but, Katniss is warned by Haymitch that she has now become a political target after defying her society's authoritarian leaders so publicly. Afterwards, Peeta is heartbroken when he learns that Katniss's actions in the arena were part of a calculated ploy to earn sympathy from the audience. However, Katniss is unsure of her own feelings, and from the look of it so is Gale.

 The movie is close to faithful to the book, but fans will notice some changes. Lenny Kravitz, Elizabeth Banks, and Donald Sutherland are used very well. Wes Bently is also well cast. Thanks to American Beauty he will forever be creepy, but it is good to see the talented actor clean and working. Jennifer Lawrence is a rising star and this is a great vehicle for her. She looks slightly different than Katniss in the book, but plays her vulnerability very well. I wasn't crazy about Hutcherson, but he does enough with what he is given. The games are fun to watch play out and scenes with the wasps and the "American Idol" like television show are great. Stanley Tucci was my favorite character to watch.

 What scares me is the fact that this may one day happen. Maybe not to kids , but in our Internet video watching world, are televised fights to the death that far off. One would hope not, but nothing surprises me anymore. So is the hype warranted? The Hunger Games is fun to watch. It's an interesting look at a warped American society. Twilight is ending and for young girls, this is the next hot thing. The sequel will happen and the movie will make a ton of money. It may not be for everyone, but it's audience will love it.

Down on Jump Street

  Once upon a time a fledgling network known as Fox ran an hour long drama about cops who went undercover in high school to bust car thieves, drug rings, and other domestic cases. Some of you were fans of the show while others know it simply as the show the launched Johnny Depp's career. These days Hollywood seems to be out of original ideas so they recycle old ones for a new audience. A fact that this movie even makes fun of.  Sometimes they work ala The Karate Kid and other times they are not so lucky ala Lost In Space. In the case of 21 Jump Street, they use the original idea and go the comedic route. Great move.

 Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill went to the same high school, but were not friends. Tatum did nothing but pick on Hill who looks like a chubby Eminem. Jenko (Tatum) is popular but not very smart. Schmidt (Hill) is smart but not popular. We fast forward seven years and both enter the police academy. They become friends and partners, but are given bicycle patrol duty. They bust a couple of drug dealers, but fail to read the Miranda warning when Jenko cannot remember it. They are transferred to the revised Jump Street program under the guidance of Ice Cube.

 They go under cover as brothers, move in with Hill's parents, and try to blend in as modern high school kids. Tatum who used to be popular, is all of the sudden not and Hill now fits in better than he used to. The principal mixes them up and Tatum becomes the science nerd while Hill gets in the cool kids. They quickly track down the dealer of a new designer drug, but have difficulty finding the supplier. Hill quickly adjusts to his under cover role while Tatum struggles with not being the cool one. They throw a party, learn to accept their new roles, face expulsion, and track down the bad guys.

 The comedy is at times great. I laughed out loud. This version of 21 Jump Street is cast very well. I personally don't think that I will ever forgive Channing Tatum for G.I. Joe, but in this type of role he works. He and Jonah Hill have great comedic chemistry. Ice Cube works as the Captain and Rob Riggle is very entertaining. He has done well for himself since Step Brothers and The Hangover. James Franco's little brother Dave is the Eco-friendly juvenile villain and works well. The party scenes are fantastic and car chase is entertaining. Comedy was the right call.

 Do they acknowledge the originals? Yes and very well. Holly Robinson Peete cameos as Judy Hoffs in the police impound yard. I had heard rumors that Depp filmed a cameo and am happy to say that those rumors were true. He and Peter Deluise reprise their respective rolls of Tom Hanson and Doug Penhall. I was impressed because it was certainly not something that Depp needed to do. His career seems to being doing just fine. 21 Jump Street was surprisingly good. It does a good job of putting a different spin on what some would call a classic series. It's not one for the kids , but an adult comedy in March isn't always a bad thing. If the movie does well and the sequel is green lit, do we get a Richard Grieco cameo?

John Carter ...of March

    It's Disney. It's got a lot of hype surrounding it. It's the first big movie of the fast approaching summer season. John Carter sounds like a recipe for success, but like Prince Of Persia, I can't help but feel it falls just short. Let's face it, there are a lot of impressive things heading our way. Superheroes, Pixar films, and that Battleship flick. It's only March so it's hard to be too hard on this movie, but there is probably a reason it's not being released in the summer.

  I have never read the classic literature and therefore am not swayed by the whole book to movie thing. I did enjoy the nod to Burroughs. When we meet John Carter he is an ex cavalry man looking for gold and overwhelmed with grief over the loss of his family. He battles some Apache, finds a cave, kills an alien, and ends up on Mars. He quickly discovers that he is much stronger and can leap great distances Ala the Hulk. His first alien encounter comes from a tribe of multi-armed green barbarians called, "Tharks." He is imprisoned even though their king takes a liking to him.

 He quickly saves the Princess of Mars (Lynn Collins) and becomes involved in the conflict between the two waring nations of Barsoon (Mars.) The princess promises to show him the way back to earth if he helps her keep her city from being conquered. The opposing race was given an alien power from a race of creatures called, "Therns." This immortal race has chosen Sab Than (Dominic West) to rule Mars and has fueled the conflict. Carter soon falls in love with the princess, wins over the Tharks, and liberates Mars. Confused? It is actually a fairly simple story of good versus evil, but I don't know if it lives up to 2012 standards.

 

 What worked? I liked Lynn Collins as the Princess of Mars. She was the right balance of tough and sexy. The film is fantastic visually. The aliens and the planet look great. The world that was created is on par with films like Star Wars and Avatar. It is obvious that the story influenced Lucas and Cameron. The ships and concepts burst off the screen. The 3D is adequate and the action is decent. The arena fight was fun to watch, but I kept imagining "Attack Of The Clones," and felt like Lucas pulled that battle right from the pages. The problem is people will see it the other way since the Star Wars exposure came first.

 What didn't work? The villains. Dominic West didn't come across as threatening enough. I like villains that scare me. Stephen Lang should have tried this instead of Conan. A good villain can carry a story and this is one of the biggest areas that John Carter lacks. Mark Strong does what he can and while I think his portrayal of Sinestro was the bright spot of Green Lantern, it is not the case here. The bad guy aliens are not nearly menacing enough either. Pacing is also bad. The love story happens too quickly and the overall story is confusing. This is obviously shot with kids in mind, but the two hour and nineteen minute time is too much to keep their attention. I found myself updating Facebook a lot. I am not sure that Taylor Kitsch works. I think that he tries, but he is not the leading man type. I think this movie would've worked much better with a stronger lead. Someone who is more of a household name. 

I think that a work of classic fiction can be a tough sell. In a summer where we are all excited about the next Batman, Spider-man, and G.I. Joe, I think John Carter falls a little short of the mark. I wasn't bored and I didn't hate it, but I am OK if their isn't a sequel. I will be just fine staying on earth.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of ....A Bad 80's Action Movie?

 

    Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) is back with his flaming hell cycle to serve justice to the wicked. Most people bashed Cage's first outing as the Devil's Bounty Hunter. I found it to be average. This time he is running from the curse of the rider and hiding in Easter Europe. He's spent years trying to control it and stays sheltered away from people until Moreau comes calling. The warrior monk played by Idris Elba needs Cage's help to find and protect a child from the devil.

  The devil made a deal similar to the one made with Johnny Blaze only for a child. The boys mother Nadya (Violante Placido) agrees , but like every deal with the devil, things go wrong. Moreau offers to free Cage from his curse in exchange for helping. The child is named Danny, but there's never a clear explanation as to whether he is the future Ghost Rider, Dan Ketch.

  The plot is simple and I am OK with that. Blackout is done very well. The effects aren't great , but they are watchable and Johnny Whitworth is entertaining. Christopher Lambert has a small role as a tattooed monk and it was about as cheesy as his role in Mortal Kombat. Minus the magical powers. The story to me seems rushed and Cage appears to be going through the motions for a paycheck. He is supposedly a guy who loves comic books, but I don't see nearly the love for the character this time around. He is also really showing his age. It lacks depth. It is very small scale. In fact, beyond the ten or twelve actors it seems like no one is in Eastern Europe. The retelling of the origin is similar , but not exact and the ending is abrupt.

The new hell cycle worked for me. Grunge and mean. The bike looked gritty and well used. The new look of Ghost Rider worked as well. I did prefer the chains in the original. The rider moved in a " Frankenstein" manner sometimes, but it was OK too. The freeway chase on the hell cycle was done very well and the 3D was OK. I think my real problem with this was vibe. It simply had none.  Marvel has done well with it's last few movies and this one feels like a let down. Most people will have assumed as much. Ghost Rider has history and deserved a better showing than this. It is a February release for a reason, but with tough competition this weekend, I doubt it tops the box office. We have most likely watched the rider head off into the sunset for the foreseeable future.





Star Wars Episode 1 -revisited in 3D.......worth it?

There is something about the Orchestral John Williams' score during the opening crawl that makes anyone feel like a kid again. Star Wars is as much a part of American Culture as Chevrolet and Baseball. Some would say this isn't Star Wars. Fans would call it the first of the dreaded Prequel Trilogy. Is it as bad as people say? In 1999 this was THE event. Is it possible for anything to live up to the kind of hype that was generated by this franchise. No. Even if Lucas wrote exactly what the fans wanted, the answer would still be no. This is not the Star Wars that you probably grew up with, but it is the beginning of what some would call a fantastic story of good versus evil.

If you can put away fan boy expectations and look at it for what it is, this isn't a horrible movie. Does it have some flaws? Absolutely. Let's start with the story. It is a set up to something bigger. The movie was formed off George's cliff notes about character backstory. If this would've come first, I don't think we would have the same stoic franchise. The Jedi are in their prime. The republic has problems. The galaxy is on the verge of a war that they didn't know was coming. A trade negotiation goes wrong and puts into motion the bigger plot. We are introduced to new characters and younger versions of some familiar ones. There are worlds to explore and dangers to face. In the end we are left with a feeling of peace, but warned of a looming threat.

Let's start with what worked? Liam Neeson. I dug the Qui Gon character. He was the one that followed the rules, but bent them if necessary for the greater good. I see him as a rogue politician. I could go on forever about the political innuendos in Star Wars, but I won't. Obi Wan was also good. Seeing the younger him in action was something that all original trilogy fans looked forward to. I had one problem with him in this film. It's one line of dialogue, "Why do I sense we are picking up yet another pathetic life form?" The line just seems out of character for someone who seemed to rigidly follow the Jedi Code. Beyond that, I think that McGregor did a fine job as the future mentor of Luke Skywalker.

The introduction of R2-D2 and C-3P0 was fun to watch. They may not be the favorites, but they are the glue to all of the films. The fact that R2 is seen on Tatooine explains why he seemed to know exactly where he was going before being captured by Jawas in episode 4. I will forever question how I feel about Vader creating 3PO, but it doesn't ruin things for me.

Queen Amidala worked and I loved the majority of the scenes on Naboo. This film still impresses me with the CGI used for that planet. The detail in the landscapes is amazing. The young queen gave us our first look at how the senate we had heard about operated. It was cool to see the chamber and the Republic Capitol.

The pod race was fun to watch, but I will always feel was done as a nod to NASCAR, which was in its prime during the film's release. I was a bit let down by the 3D during the race, but we will come back to that later. The young version of Greedo was still mildly humorous and so was Watto.

The plot of this film often gets blasted, but I never minded it. The Emporer needed an army. The Trade Federation had an army of droids and was easily manipulated. This was a learning experience for him. After seeing how easily the army was defeated, he began adjusting his plan and eventually leading us into the Clone Wars. The villain is simple and that's what works. While he is very powerful, he is a master manipulator and most of our own world’s greatest villains were the same way.

No matter how much you may loathe Lucas, he has now given us two of the greatest movie villains of all time. Vader being the first and now Darth Maul. If this movie had any lasting impressions it would be him. The look was spot on. The double bladed light saber was the coolest weapon in the universe. The fact that he barely spoke and radiated bad a$$. Watch his face during the final battle and you get it. This guy is not to be messed with.

 

This brings us to the best part of this movie. The final light saber battle. This is what Star Wars fans wanted. Jedi and Sith, twirling light sabers and using the force with precision and control. The speed and grace of this fight was fantastic. It is exactly what we wanted from prequels. People don't like it, but Darth Maul had to die. He wasn't what Palpatine needed. Maul was just a weapon with no connections. Over throwing a government takes connections and this guy was just a warrior. A good one, but He is a very one dimensional one. On the other side of the coin, Qui Gon had to die as well. Imagine how different Anakin may have been under Qui Gon's training? Vader me never have come to be, but we all know that couldn't happen. There is great foreshadowing here. Obi Wan killing Maul fuels the dislike that Palpatine later reveals towards the Jedi Master as the story continues.

I didn't hate Jar Jar. I can appreciate what he is/should have been. Comic relief. He was supposed to be the bumbling idiot that 3PO was in the first trilogy. He is always getting into trouble. My biggest problem with Jar Jar was his voice. Nails on chalkboard. I think Lucas was so excited that he got his CGI character to work, that he became a victim of overkill. If Jar Jar would have been toned down, we as adults would have been more accepting of him. The annoying voice and unnecessary getting into trouble became tiring, but the kids I sat in the theatre with still loved him. George Lucas has always said these are kid’s movies. This is a point that will forever be debated.

Binks wasn't my biggest problem with Episode One. Jake Lloyd was. I liked some of the other actors who screen tested so much better. I get the idea of a no name, but Jake was horrible. The acting was bad and I never really liked the character of Anakin as a boy. Child actors are tough, but I found this one to be annoying. His delivery was awful and I think made bad dialogue more painful.

This movie is supposed to be the backstory of Vader. Who, as stated by George, was always the main character. I hated the "immaculate conception," story. When I watched this again there are some key close ups on Anakin's mother that make me wonder if there was another direction that they intended to go in. My biggest disappointment is that we never get more info on the father. Too late to fix it now.

Is it worth it in 3D? Yes. It's not the greatest 3D conversion, but for a movie that was never intended to be done in 3D, it's pretty good. The characters stand out a little more and things certainly look cool, but I don't think the 3D is why I liked seeing it again. The starship fight is a bit underwhelming, but the movie on the big screen with sound still resonated. Star Wars will always be better viewed on the big screen. People will continue to hate this movie. People will continue to despise George Lucas, but I appreciate what he did. He gave us another story. It might not be exactly how we envisioned, but it was never really our vision was it? He gave us light sabers, droids, and took us back to a galaxy far far away. Is it my favorite? No, but for two hours I was a kid again and I appreciate that. The movie is still worth the watch and if you can separate yourself from Lucas hate for two hours, you might even like it a little more. May the force be with you.

Chronicle...of a good movie.

  Let me apologize for the delay in this review, but sometimes life can get in the way.   

 The fad of the moment is Super Hero movies. Some are good, Captain America. Some are bad, Green Lantern. Some are better than expected, X-Men: First Class. Chronicle is pretty good. It can be tough to take characters that are original and be a successful movie. Sci-fi is a turn off for some mainstream movie goers. Chronicle is very science fiction, but it is also very not. Teen angst, economic pressure, and everyday problems are running wild through this one.

  The story features a cast you are probably not familiar with. Michael B. Jordan, Michael Kelly, and Alex Russell are the three leads. Andrew decides from the opening frame to begin filming his life. Hence the name “Chronicle.” I am quickly getting tired of the “fake documentary” style of filmmaking, but I do admit this one works pretty well. Andrew has issues from the minute. He doesn’t fit in at school. He gets bullied, is a loner with an abusive father and terminally ill mother. His only friend is his cousin Matt who seems to come across being his friend out of guilt. He is convinced to a rave with Matt and the future class president Steve. The three stumble on some kind of sink hole and find an alien rock. Yes an alien rock.

  They touch the rock and come out of the hole with telekinesis. The discovery of their powers and their “training,” is straight out of an episode of “jackass,” but again it works. The scenes where they learn to fly are entertaining. Low budget, but it does make you wish you had the same talent. Andrew’s life causes him to become angry and abuse his powers. He starts fitting in, but uncontrollable vomiting before sex causes him to be ridiculed. He painfully takes revenge on the school bully and continues to harm innocent people. Matt then has no choice but to stop him. Andrew is the villain, but his intentions are at times pretty good.

  The critic on my show said that it borrows heavily from “Akira,” he is dead on. It works and to non anime fans, it will go unnoticed. The big battle in downtown Seattle is borrowed from Super Man 2, but again it works. It sometimes can look a bit cheesy but it is still cool to watch. The alien rock isn’t explained and that doesn’t bother me. Nose bleeds and vomiting are not explained either and I was left wishing they were. The movie is left open for a sequel and does end with a lot being left to explain. Josh Trank isn’t exactly a house hold name director and there are a lot of similarities with J.J. Abrams. It does come across like a show that belongs on the CW, but Chronicle does prove that sometimes low-budget can still be fun.

The Grey....More like ..."The Letdown"

   If you have seen "Taken" then you know that Liam Neeson plays a great bad a$$. The Grey has all the makings of a "man against the elements, battle for life and death. If you've watched a trailer. The movie, unfortunately, doesn't deliver. The plot is OK. Liam plays an interesting character, but the movie lacks in many ways.
 The plot is a combo of "Alive" and "The Edge." Neeson is on a plane of workers that crashes into an undisclosed frozen wilderness. The men find themselves fighting the elements, wolves, and sometimes each other. One of the greatest lines I've heard in along time is uttered," In about 5 seconds I am going to beat the s@#& out of you and you will swallow a lot of blood." I will carry that one with me for awhile and coming from Liam Neeson it's believable.
The battle wolves hunt them. The men do not get along and I found myself curious, more so than caring, who will survive.

The film does have it's breath taking moments. The crossing of the canyon and the frozen tundra that they traverse. My problem with "The Grey" is the fact that I never became emotionally divested in the characters. The movie does it's best to show glimpses of their past stories, but I never found myself rooting for them to make it. It will make you jump at times and there are a few tense moments, but all in all I spent two hours waiting for a pay off that doesn't come. The only thing the movie did was make me appreciate the warm bed that I sleep in. In my opinion go see "Red Tails" instead or die hard Liam Neeson fans should just rent "Taken" again.