Category Archives: Flicks

Hunger Games, the movie!

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I swear I will be back sometime within the week to talk about how I felt about this movie, but in the meantime I’m going to post something I meant to post last week before it opened:

If you’re interested in seeing it AND HAVE READ THE BOOK (b/c these might be spoilery if not), I would encourage you to read Kristin Cashore’s post on the series overall. (Kristin Cashore = the author of Graceling and Fire, two books I loved as much as I loved the Hunger Games books!!!) I really love what she has to say PARTICULARLY what she has to say about Katniss’ ultimate choice (or decision). I’m SO TIRED of hearing people whine about the third book and how they feel Katniss becomes too Bella-like (passive) in it and I think that paragraph really touches on how that isn’t true.

I would also recommend the MonkeySee review of the movie which has a number of good points.

(My long-ago brief comments on the HG books are here and here. I reread book 1 before going to the movie on Sunday and I’m glad I did as I was remembering things more as a whole and it was nice to just think about things from the beginning again.)

Big Screen: Friends with Kids

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Since you already know, I detested Bridesmaids, you must not be surprised to hear I equally detested this?

Part of it was my fault, though: I went to this movie wanting to see a movie about someone like, say, Ben Wyatt, that sweet adorable man from Parks & Rec (played by Adam Scott, of course). I did not go to it wanting to see Adam Scott play a crass jerk. So basically I was bound to not be a fan based on my own expectations.

Yes, the dinner party scene was some wonderful writing and outstanding acting. But what resulted from that scene really should have been very different, in my opinion. So I do blame the movie for some of my disappointment. Heh.

I hate hate hate hate the crass response of the last line of the film so so so so much. Blech.

This whole “women can be crass too! SEE! SEE HOW CRASS WE CAN BE!” movement is SO not what I want to see at the movies. OR ANYWHERE. (And FYI unlike much of the world, I hate the boy versions of those movies just as much. Yuck.)

Big Screen: A Separation

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A truly great movie. Really wonderfully done. Full of nuance and suggestion and believable humanity (especially in contrast to Carnage!!!). A movie that makes you change your opinion after every scene, but not in a Memento-type way, in a “TRUTH and THE FACTS are always ambiguous” type way.

Great performances by people I would love to see in more movies.

Big Screen: Carnage

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A lot of good actors in this movie but ultimately I thought it was a disappointment. And completely unrealistic that the visiting couple wouldn’t have left roughly 5 minutes into the movie. So basically the plot felt completely artificial and maintained their presence just for the sake of maintaining it (no movie without them stuck there).

Jodie Foster was incredibly shrill — my least favorite Foster performance. EVER.

A few great lines here and there but that dialogue could have been put to use in a much better film.

Big Screen: Hugo (3D)

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The most lovely, unobtrusive use of 3D I think I’ve ever seen.* And some great performances as well.

My ONLY complaint about this movie is that a) they never tell you it’s from a graphic novel by Brian Selznick and b) they never tell you that George Melies was a real person and the films they depict of his were real films (something that is clearly laid out for you at the end of the Selznick book).

They made a few changes from the book but for the most part, it really stuck to Selznick’s writing and art. It was really well-done.

*3D used for depth and texture and beauty and to ENHANCE. Not for shock value and punching the audience in the face. Gee, WHO KNEW.