10s Movie Review - The Hunger Games

Director: Gary Ross
Genre: Adventure/ Action/ Dystopia/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 142 minutes
Year: 2012
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, Wes Bently, Donald Sutherland, Toby Jones

Description: Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) voluntarily takes her younger sister's place in the Hunger Games: a televised competition in which two teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to fight to the death.

Review: The plot of the by Suzanne Collins written book is promising. Lead character is Katniss Everdeen, who lives in Panem, the new name for the completely destructed North America in a near future. Panem is divided in districts, where the 13th district is already gone. As a punishment, the twelve districts have to deliver one boy and girl to attend the Hunger Games. In this battle only one will come out alive, everyone will literally fight ‘till the death. When Katniss’ sister Primrose is the chosen one for the 74^th Hunger Games, Katniss volunteers to go herself.

All the tributes are dropped in a forest and the people of Panem are watching them every move. The Hunger Games are a big event. It all starts even before the games, where all the tributes have to win over the audience in order to get sponsors.

Jennifer Lawrence is a worthy leading lady and she carries this film easily. She is an underdog, yet a fantastic heroine. Katniss doesn’t want to be a hero though, she is just as afraid as everyone else. But she chooses to fight for her life, without having to kill everyone in sight.

The plot is pretty cruel, but it’s softened a bit to make it more appropriate for a broader audience. That’s okay, because the film’s story is still pretty disturbing.

“The Hunger Games” is a good book to movie adaptation and a great start to a strong franchise.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Like Crazy

Director: Drake Doremus
Genre: Romance
Runtime: 86 minutes
Year: 2011
Starring: Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlie Bewley, Alex Kingston, Chris Messina
Description: A British college student (Felicity Jones) falls for an American student (Anton Yelchin), only to be separated from him when she's banned from the U.S. after overstaying her visa.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 14: A FILM WITH JENNIFER LAWRENCE
 
Review: We meet Anna and Jacob when there are in college. The fall in love and spend every waking hour with each other. When Anna’s visa expires, she is forced to go back to England, leaving Jacob behind in the US. They try to make it work long distance, but both of them soon realize that it might be better to see other people. How strong is their love for each other really?

It's a beautiful story, on paper. But I didn’t really enjoy this film. I never really believed Anna and Jacob; Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin were missing the chemistry. And I felt like, especially Jacob, was happier in the other relationship.

Jones and Yelchin were good in their roles. And Jennifer Lawrence didn’t really have a lot to do in her role as the other woman. But then again, together Jones and Yelchin never managed to convinced me.
It’s not even an hour-and-a-half long, but it felt much longer. And that is never a good sign. I did not hate “Like Crazy”, but I didn’t particularly enjoyed it either.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

00s Movie Review - Snatch

Director: Guy Ritchie
Genre: Comedy/ Crime
Runtime: 104 minutes
Year: 2000
Starring: Jason Statham, Stephen Graham, Brad Pitt, Dennis Farina, Vinnie jones, Benicio Del Toro, Jason Flemyng

Description: Unscrupulous boxing promoters, violent bookmakers, a Russian gangster, incompetent amateur robbers and supposedly Jewish jewelers fight to track down a priceless stolen diamond.

Review: The British director Guy Ritchie has an amazing international debut with “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”. His flashy and energetic way of filming and the fun characters in combination with rough action scenes made us think of Quentin Tarantino. Ritchie has a lot of fans. The movie “Snatch” is also a gem and he managed to get some bigger names like Brad Pitt, Benicio del Toro and Dennis Farina for this project.

“Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” with a modern and more expensive touch, that’s what you could call “Snatch”. Not only the multiple storylines that intertwine, but also some known faces. Jason Statham, Vinnie Jones, Jason Flemyng and Alan Ford. It’s visible that everyone had fun making “Snatch” and I think I even prefer it over “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”.

It all starts in a diamond shop in Antwerp, where a big diamond is stolen by a gang lead by Franky Four Fingers (Benicio del Toro). The diamond is supposed to be delivered to Avi (Dennis Farina) in New York. But Franky makes a stop in London, where his poker addiction gets him into trouble. The criminal Boris ‘The Blade’, for whom the diamond was meant, goes after Franky. Boris hires some thieves; Vinny, Sol and Tyrone. During a boxing match Franky will be robbed by one of them and they will bring the diamond to Boris. At the same time Turkish (Jason Statham) and Tommy (Stephen Graham), two small time thieves, are involved with that same boxing match because one of their boxers was knocked out by gypsy Mickey (Brad Pitt). While buying a caravan they run into Mickey, because promotor Brick Top (Alan Ford) needs a replacement boxer. Because Brick has some bets going on, Mickey has to go down in the fourth round. Off course Mickey won’t and all hell breaks loose.

“Snatch” follows the same story structure as “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”, has hard action and dark humor. Not for everyone, but I love it. The acting is good. Brad Pitt is hilarious as boxer Mickey, who you can hardly understand. And Vinnie Jones is perfect for the role of Bullet Tooth Tony. And Benicio de Toro, who only has a small role, shows us again why he is one of the best actor of his generation. Jason Statham and Stephen Graham form a fun, not so lucky, duo.

For the fans of “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”, this is a must see. It’s hilarious, tough and an absolute recommendation.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Book Review - The Hunger Games (REREAD)

Title: The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games # 1)
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: Dystopian/ Young Adult/ Reread/ Science Fiction
Published: 2008
 
Description: In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying Districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing  them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.
 
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
 
Review: Deciding to dedicate the month of April to rereading the entire “The Hunger Games” series, before diving into the newest book, is the best decision. I read it first in 2011, I believe, and I really loved it. But I have never read it since. And, from chapter one, I remember why I loved this series so much.
 
Panem is what used to be North America. It was divided into 13 District, with only 12 left. The Capitol is holding all the Districts under a strict regime and they make each District send one boy and one girl, between the ages of 12 and eighteen, to compete in the Hunger Games. A game, on live TV, that makes 24 youngster fight to death, until there is only one left. Katniss Everdeen lives in District 12 and sees her sister Primrose being the chosen one for this year’s Hunger Games. But out of love for her young sister, 16-year-old Katniss volunteers to take her place to fight in the 74^th annual Hunger Games.
 
I remember, when reading it the first time, Katniss won me over from the start. She is a strong character, easy to relate to and to root for. And I believe that she still is, for people reading it now for the first time.
 
The story deals with serious issues like political corruption, violence, survival, love and sacrifice. The world Suzanne Collins created is really dark, it feels like there is no hope whatsoever. The story is compelling, exciting, tense, dark and it’s really a book you can’t put down. It kept me reading for hours that first time and it did it again while rereading it.
 
I’m so happy that I reread it and that I will be immersed into this world for the entirety of April. It’s such a good series, and “The Hunger Games” is an amazing first in that series.
 
Rating: 5/ 5

Book Review - Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

Title: Parable of the Sower (Earthseed # 1)
Author: Octavia E. Butler
Genre: Science Fiction/ Dystopia/ Classic
Published: 1993
 
Description: In 2024, with the world descending into madness and anarchy, one woman begins a fateful journey toward a better future.
 
Lauren Olamina and her family live in one of the only safe neighborhoods remaining on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Behind the walls of their defended enclave, Lauren’s father, a preacher, and a handful of other citizens try to salvage what remains of a culture that has been destroyed by drugs, disease, war, and chronic water shortages. While her father tries to lead people on the righteous path, Lauren struggles with hyperempathy, a condition that makes her extraordinary sensitive to the pain of others.
 
When a fire destroys their compound, Lauren’s family is killed and she is forced our into a world that is fraught with danger. With a handful of other refugees, Lauren must make her way north to safety, along the way conceiving a revolutionary idea that may mean salvation for all mankind.
 
Review: “Parable of the Sower” tells the story as the various crises that are now also taking place in 2025 have developed further. The climate crisis has led to environment where it almost never rains. Water is scarce. The economic crisis has increased the gap between rich and poor. Polarization has caused entire groups of people to be pitted against other people and you can no longer trust anyone again. The story starts in 2024, but was written in 1993. That blows my mind.
 
In this America that Octavia E. Butler wrote about, cannibalism is back. Drugs that numb cause the worst type of crimes. Lauren Olamina is our protagonist. She lives with her father, a preacher, in a walled community in the hope of being protected from her anarchy outside. Lauren is very sensitive, has hyperempathy, and picks up emotions and pain from other people. Lauren has developed her own ideology, the Earthseed. She believes in a God who is change. This belief develops over the course of the story and ensures that she can persevere.
 
“Parable of the Sower” is a very special book. Especially because of the world Butler is describing and the fact that it was written over 30 years ago. Lauren is a wonderful character, easy to empathize with. Lauren’s beliefs in change, which she shapes and develops through her thoughts, makes you realize that change is possible. That gives hope and courage. And each chapter starts with a piece of her journal: Earthseed, the book of the living.
 
The writing style is descriptive and compelling. More people should read this book to realize what kind of world we would create if we do nothing. Because it is reality, even though this book is categorized as science fiction. Sadly Octavia E. Butler passed away in 2006, but I will read everything on her backlist.
 
Rating: 5/ 5

Movie Review - Babygirl

Director: Halina Reijn
Genre: Thriller/ Drama
Runtime: 114 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, Antonio Banderas, Sophie Wilde, Esther McGregor, Vaughan Reilly 
 
Description: A high powered CEO (Nicole Kidman) puts her career and family in the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much-younger intern (Harris Dickinson).
 
Review: Romy Mathis has made it. She is the CEO of a company specializing in AI and robotics, and her marriage to stage director Jacob has lasted for years. But one day, during an anxious moment, she meets twenty-something Samuel. Who she lates sees back at her company as an intern. Samuel takes a brutal, confrontational and transgressive attitude toward Romy; to the point that she is completely thrown off guard. Samuel continues to challenge her and eventually Romy gives in. She risks paying a high price for a slip-up that grows into much more than that.  

This is the second English-language film by once actress ut now established Dutch filmmaker Halina Reijn (previously directed “Bodies Bodies Bodies”). “Babygirl” is an erotic thriller, like many that were made in the nineties. Yet fresh and surprising, because we now see through the eyes of the woman, who is not always allowed to act morally pure. The film does not believe in good and bad, but lustfully digs in the gray area in between.  

Kidman shines as the complex Romy and the film manages to break taboos as well as explore current themes around consent and gender roles.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

20s Movie Review - Pig

Director: Michael Sarnoski
Genre: Drama/ Mystery
Runtime: 92 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff, Adam Arkin

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 13: A FILM FROM 2021
 
Description: A truffle hunter (Nicolas Cage) who lives alone in the Oregon wilderness must return to his part in Portland in search of his beloved foraging pig after she is kidnapped.

Review: Nicolas Cage is either very over the top or really subdued. For “Pig” it’s the latter. It’s a fairly quiet film with a meandering style. Cage plays Rob, a man who was once the best chef in town, but now lives a reclusive life in the woods of Oregon. There he lives, along with his pig, who helps him search and root for truffles. But then his quiet life gets disturbed and his pig gets stolen. Rob has to go back to the city and find her.

In core the film is about learning to care about something and not fall prey to hypocrisy. I absolutely loved this film. It’s a slow film, no action, just a man looking for his beloved pig. And Nicolas Cage is wonderful. His rage is now very contained and it works perfectly for “Pig”.

Rating: 4/ 5