20s Movie Review - Five Nights at Freddy's

Director: Emma Tammi
Genre: Horror
Runtime: 109 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, Matthew Lillard, Mary Stuart Masterson

Description: A troubled security guard (Josh Hutcherson) begins working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. During his five nights on the job, he realizes that something is wrong with the pizzeria and pretty soon finds the truth about its animatronics.

Review: I have to start by saying I knew nothing about the game before watching this film. In the computer game “Five Nights at Freddy’s”, the player takes on the role fo a security guard. During the night shift, you must ensure that the branches of a fictional pizza chain remain safe. The main threat is the animatronic bear Freddy, after whom the restaurants are named. With his friends, Freddy has a pretty hostile attitude. There are over ten games out now.

In the movie the “player” is Mike, who gets the job as security guard at the pizza restaurant, which is now completely rundown. He is given a backstory, to give the film and character a bit more substance. He is sometimes visited by cop Vanessa, who seems to know a lot about the pizza place. And it’s about to get scary.

We quickly learn that the animatronics at this restaurant are coming alive and it is kind of strange to me how easy Mike goes along with this story. There isn’t much explanation given.

Director and co-writer Emma Tammi has put a lot of time into the dramatic element of her game adaptation. As a result, her second feature is constantly held up by hassles surrounding the introverted Abby, the tug-of-war over custody and Mike's recurring dreams. Clearly, everything will eventually come together, with coincidence playing a bizarrely large role. But is the horror audience actually interested in this?

A good horror film needs a ton of suspense and build-up, everything “Five Nights at Freddy’s seems to be missing. There is a handful of jump scares and little is left to your imagination. With an absurd premise like this it can go either way. It worked for the game, because these are immensely popular. It however does not work for the film.

Rating: 1,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Director: Francis Lawrence
Genre: Science Fiction/ Action/ Drama/ Dystopian
Runtime: 146 minutes
Year: 2013
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz, Elizabeth Banks, Donald Sutherland, Stanley Tucci, Toby Jones, Sam Claflin,, Jeffrey Wright, Amanda Plummer, Jena Malone, Philip Seymour Hoffman

Description: Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) become targets of the Capitol after their victory in the 74th Hunger Games sparks a rebellion in the Districts of Panem.

Review: The first film in “The Hunger Games” franchise was a huge success and was really good. The second movie gets a new director, Gary Ross steps down and makes room for Francis Lawrence. 
Instead of getting in to the action right away, Lawrence takes time to look back on the happenings from the first film. The surprising climax of the 74th Hunger Games has changed a lot and it’s not over for Katniss and Peeta just yet. Together they have to visit all the districts for a victory tour, something they both don’t like doing. The people love Katniss and president Snow is anything but happy about it. 

Plutarch Heavensbee is the new game maker and decides to make the 75th Hunger Games into something unforgettable. Together with president Snow they decide to let former winners from each district fight it out in the arena. Because Katniss is the only female winner from district 12, she has to enter. And Peeta joins her again, when he volunteers after Haymitch was chosen. 

“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” is a case of bigger and better. But also visually it brings us more. No shaky cam here, which make the actions scenes even better. And the new arena brings a lot more variation and new dangers. The story is very true to its source material. 

It takes some time before the actual battle starts, but the movie never bores. This is also a big thank you to Jennifer Lawrence, who shines once again as Katniss. A tough heroine, who can also be vulnerable and it’s easy to identify with her. This franchise separates itself from other young adult films that were based on books. The film also adds some great new characters, like Finnick, Beetee, Plutarch and Johanna. 

“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” was already my favorite book in the series, it’s a fantastic film as well.

Rating: 5 / 5

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

00s Movie Review - Howl's Moving Castle

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Genre: Animation/ Adventure/ Romance/ Fantasy

Runtime: 119 minutes

Year: 2004

Starring: Christian Bale, Jeanne Simmons, Emily Mortimer, Billy Crystal, Blythe Danner, Lauren Bacall, Josh Hutcherson, Jena Malone

Description: When an unconfident young woman (Emily Mortimer) is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch (Lauren Bacall), her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard (Christian Bale) and his companions in his legged, walking castle.  

Review: Within the field of Japanese animated film or anime there is an enormous variety of genres, and a dazzling difference in quality. While Foxkids daily bombards youthful viewers with yet another uninspired Pokémon clone, films from the renowned Studio Ghibli are screened at prestigious film festivals. Hayao Miyazaki is considered the master within the anime world, and rightly so. “Howl’s Moving Castle”, an adaptation of the book by British fantasy author Diana Wynne Jones, will not achieve a classis status, but is again a wonderful animation.

“Howl’s Moving Castle” is set in an imaginary Central European kingdom at the beginning of the 20^th century, a fairy tale variant of Austria or Hungary. The worlds of magic and industry are still intertwined: while people are already moving by steam train and flying machine, the enigmatic wizard Howl hides his walking castle amidst the misty mountains. That castle is a true piece of Miyazaki’s art: a giant, pulsating huddle of metal and wood, held together and propelled by a demonic force.

The timid young seamstress Sophie accidentally comes into contact with Howl himself, and is therefore transformed by his enemy, the Witch of the Waste, into an ancient female. To break the spell, she sets off in her new form on her way to the mountains: to find Howl, or another magician who can break her spell.

As an old Sophie finds out that although her body no longer cooperates, she has suddenly become a lot more balanced and is no longer surprised by a lot of things. She finds Howl’s castle and in no time at all makes herself a housekeeper. Together with the little boy Markl and the fire demon Calcifer, she forms the entourage of the charming but freaky Howl, who sets off at night to face the advancing war in the region. Little by little, Sophie finds out what magical powers are at work in the kingdom and what the alliance between Howl and Calcifer means. And as always with Miyazaki, hardly anyone is who he seems at first sight.

Another ingredient in every Miyazaki movie are the wonderful and often funny characters, and in “Howl’s Moving Castle” too. An absolute favorite is Calcifer, the mighty demon that sees itself reduced to a cozy fire. He is hilarious and endearing at the same time. But the contrast withing the main characters is great. Especially Howl remains a sketchy figure who does not really come to life, even though he is provided with a complex background story. Why he cares so much about the war and what all this has to do with his monstrous side, remains in the dark. There are many elements and characters in the film that are not really well-executed. This makes the story more obscure. The film loses a bit of logic towards the end.  

All this does not alter the fact that “Howl’s Moving Castle” is still worth watching. It’s not a masterpiece, like many of Miyazaki’s films are, but it can still easily enchant an audience with its beautiful animation and images.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 137: The Disaster Artist

Director: James Franco
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 104 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: James Franco, Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Seth Rogen, Megan Millally, Ari Graynor, Jacki Weaver, Josh Hutcherson, Zac Efron

Description: When Greg Sestero (Dave Franco), an aspiring film actor, meets the weird and mysterious Tommy Wiseau (James Franco) in an acting class, they form a unique friendship and travel to Hollywood to make their dreams come true.

Review: “The Room”, from mysterious film maker and actor Tommy Wiseau, is knows is probably the worst movie ever made. It appears that it cost him about six million dollars, but the movie only made 1800 dollars in the first weekend.
“The Room” was known for its bad dialogues, even worse acting and strange story. But it has grown to be an absolute cult classic. But who was Wiseau? How did he get the money to finance this film? And where was he really from, claiming he was from New Orleans but he has a strange Easter European accent.
We don’t know the answer to those questions, but James Franco isn’t trying to answer them. He did speak to Wiseau on a daily basis, because Franco doesn’t only direct. He also portrays Wiseau. And with that he gives away one of the best performances of his career. Wiseau is quite the character and it’s really easy to fall into a cartoonish character that you are impersonating. When you look at Franco as Wiseau, you don’t see the actor Franco. You see Wiseau.
Greg, played by James Franco’s real life brother Dave Franco, is ambitious and wants to be an actor. During an acting class, he meets Wiseau. He looks up to him, because Wiseau gives his all without caring about what others think. Wiseau isn’t talented, but the two decide to move to Los Angeles and pursue an acting career. When they get no after no, they decided to make their own movie. Wiseau writes the script for “The Room”.
Most part of the film is spend on the filming of “The Room”. It’s clear that Wiseau is an unpredictable man. And people around him don’t really know what to think of him. Greg is the only one that still believes in him.
Franco didn’t turn Wiseau into a caricature, but actually gave his character a lot of heart. As for the whole movie, it has so much heart.
James Franco is so talented and he made an absolute fantastic film with “The Disaster Artist”. His directing is so good, but he excels as the actor here. For me the best movie of 2017.

Rating: 5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 151: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

Director: Francis Lawrence

Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Science Fiction

Runtime: 136 minutes

Year: 2015

Starring: Jennfier Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Philip Seymour, Julianne Moore, Willow Shields, Sam Claflin, Elizabeth Banks, Jena Malone, Jeffrey Wright, Stanely Tucci, Natalie Dormer, Evan Ross

Description: As the war of Panem escalates to the destruction of other districts by the Capitol, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), the reluctant leader of the rebellion, must bring together an army against President Snow (Donald Sutherland), while all she holds dear hangs in the balance.

Review: In a world filled with young adult series it’s not easy to be above average and to stand out. “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2” has succeeded. It’s a strong concept and a top cast and “The Hunger Games” gets an amazing final act.

“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1” got mixed reviews and wasn’t received well overall. It was a bit tame, lack of action, but I liked it. It was a build up to the second part and I always said the first part would be appreciated more if part two came out. “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2” is amazing!

Katniss Everdeen is recovering from an attack from brainwashed Peeta and all she wants is revenge on President Snow. She doesn’t want to do just what rebel leader Alma Coin has planned for her. Katniss gets an elite team, with Gale, Finnick and Peeta, but also some new faces. Together they storm the Capitol, which is filled with booby-traps.

It takes a bit of time before “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2” really gets going, but then the spectacles breaks loose. This is probably the most violent one of the franchise and the darkest of the four.

You could say that, after the satisfying climax of the film, the movie goes on a bit too long. Everything has to come to an end and I was pleased with that part as well. “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2” has a lot to love.

Jennifer Lawrence is fantastic again as Katniss. She is probably one of the most successful actresses of her generation. And the rest of the cast does great too, even if some have somewhat limited screen time.

“The Hunger Games” series takes its audience seriously and I wish there were more movie series as good as this. “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2” is a worthy goodbye to the franchise and definitely a great film.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 135: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

Director: Frances Lawrence

Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Science Fiction

Runtime: 123 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Jena Malone, Jeffrey Wright, Natalie Dormer, Sam Claflin, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland

Description: When Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) destroys the games, she goes to District 13 after District 12 is destroyed. She meets President Coin (Julianne Moore) who convinces her to be the symbol of rebellion, while trying to save Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) from the Capitol.

Review: In this franchise they choose to split up the last book into two movies. Mostly for financial reasons, but for fans one extra movie to enjoy the adventures of Katniss Everdeen. For people who read the books, it’s great to see the buildup, for neutral viewers it might by a bit unsatisfying.

Katniss Everdeen has survived her second time in the games and sees that her previous enemies turn out to be her allies. They wanted to free her so they could rebel against the capitol. District 12, Katniss’ home front, has been destroyed and Peeta has been heald captive by the enemy. Because the movie is in two parts, everything has been stretched a bit.

They take the time to show the audience what the impact of the events in the previous film is. Katniss is heavily traumatized, an underground defiance wants her as the face of the revolution. She doesn’t want it at first, but after her visit to Distruct 12 she wants to find a way to protect her loved ones. Katniss’ personal development is very interesting to see in this film.

Jennifer Lawrence is again great as Katniss. You feel her pain and agony. A great new addition is Julianne Moore as Alma Coin. A perfect choice for the role. Elizabeth Banks portrayed Effie Trinkett again, this time in a different way. Maybe my favorite version of Effie.

The movie doesn’t contain any actual Hunger Games. It isn’t as action packed as the other two movies and the pace is a lot slower. That never means it’s dull, because time still flies while watching it. “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1” is a fantastic film, that will especially please the fans and the people that know the books very well. I think this movie will eventually be more appreciated when part two comes out.

Rating: 4/ 5

Video of the Week (9)

This week it's movie related. No, not a trailer, because I do that on sundays. I actually got this in my mailbox, a message from President Snow, the president of Panem. It's a great way to tease someone who is looking forward to "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay part 1". Now it's even harder for me.

 

 

 

Movie Moments: "The Hunger Games"

"The Hunger Games" is definitely one of the coolest and most fantastic movies I've seen this year. And it's full of great moments, recognizable for those who read the book. Here are my favorite scenes.

Moment # 1: Hunting
Katniss is hunting and sees a deer. She is about to shoot it when Gale appears and the deer runs away.

Moment # 2: Gale’s plan
Katniss and Gale are talking about the hunger games. Gale has a plan, he says they could run away. But Katniss doesn’t think they’ll make it.

Moment # 3: The reaping
The day of the reaping has come and Effie Trinkett is about to pick the tributes. When she pulls out the girls name, she calls out Prim’s name. She’s scared and Katniss volunteers as tribute. Peeta is the male tribute for district 12.

Moment # 4: Gale’s promise
Katniss and Gale have a few minutes before she has to leave. He tells Katniss that she can hunt and that she will win. Katniss wants him to promise her that he’ll take care of her family and that Gale doesn’t let them starve.

Moment # 5: Meeting Haymitch
Katniss and Peeta meet Haymitch Abernathy, the man who’s supposed to get them ready for the hunger games. He’s drunk and not really in the mentoring mood.

Moment # 6: Tribute parade
Peeta and Katniss take part in the tribute parade. They surprise everyone with their flaming costumes.

Moment # 7: “Thank you for you consideration”
Katniss has to show of her skills in the last evaluation. She gets a bow and arrow and misses the target. Gamemaker Seneca Crane and his fellow watchers start laughing and stop paying attention. Even when Katniss does hit the target. All of a sudden Katniss shoots an apple, in the middle of the crowd and thanks the men for their consideration.

Moment # 8: Eleven
Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch, Effie and Cinna are waiting for the evaluation. Peeta got an 8 and Katniss and 11. She’s officially the favorite of the hunger games.

Moment # 9: The night before
Katniss and Peeta can’t sleep and have a conversation the night before the hunger games.

Moment # 10: Cinna and Katniss say goodbye
Cinna is the last person Katniss sees before she enters the hunger games arena. He gives Katniss her jacket and he put the mockingjay pin on it. Katniss is getting scared and when she’s in the tube she realizes that this is it.

Moment # 11: Cornucopia
The countdown starts and all the tributes are standing in the cornucopia. When the clock stops, all the tributes start running and fighting for their lives. Katniss grabs a bag and runs into the woods.

Moment # 12: Tracker Jackers
Katniss was chased by some tributes from district 1 and 2. She is in a tree and when she wakes up she sees Rue. She points to a hive of Tracker Jackers, genetically manipulated wasps. Katniss cuts the branch and the hive falls down. The other tributes run for their lives and Katniss has time to get away.

Moment # 13: Rue dies
Katniss is attacked by Marvel, but she strikes first and kills him. But Rue is also hit and dies in Katniss’ arms. She makes sure Rue gets a proper burial.

Moment # 14: Gale sees Katniss and Peeta kiss
Katniss found a wounded Peeta and decides to take care of him. Peeta wants to know why she helps him and Katniss kisses him. Gale sees it on t.v. an is annoyed by it.

Moment # 15: Hounds
The gamemaker wants some action and sends some blood thirsty hounds after Katniss and Peeta.

Moment # 16: Katniss and Peeta win
After Cato was killed by the hounds, Peeta and Katniss are the only two ones left. Adjusted rules say they won, but again there is a change. Only one of them can win and Peeta thinks it should be Katniss. Katniss doesn’t agree and she gives Peeta some poisonous berries. They both want to eat them, so there will be no winner this year. Right before they eat them, the game is stopped and Peeta and Katniss win the game.

Moment # 17: Katniss sees Gale
Katniss and Peeta return to district 12 and Katniss sees that Gale kept his promise. He’s with Prim and her mother, who both seem happy to see her. When Peeta sees Katniss looking at Gale and smiling, he grabs her hand.

Favorite Moment: Moment # 13: Rue Dies

"The Hunger Games", "Drive" and Rachel McAdams

I made four new wallpapers. The first two are inspired by the movie and cast of "The Hunger Games". I saw it recently and I absolutely loves it.

This wallpapers features pictures of the movie "Drive". Fantastic film, a great performance by Ryab Gosling.

The last one I dedicaded to Rachel McAdams. From the press conference she did for the movie "The Vow".

In the Picture: The Characters from "The Hunger Games"

I read the books and yesterday I finally saw the movie. I have been looking forward to this for so many months. Here are the characters from “The Hunger Games” and I’m going to apologize in advance, I picked two favorites….

Katniss Everdeen
Played by: Jennifer Lawrence
Katniss is 16-years old and lives with her mother and younger sister Primrose. After her father dies in an mine explosion, she hunts to provide for her family and she’s the glue that keeps the three of them together. When Prim’s name is called out during the reaping, Katniss volunteers as tribute for the Hunger Games. She promises her sister she will try to win the games and during the training she catches the eye of the viewers. She has to act like she’s in love with Peeta in order to survive and to earn sponsors. Katniss is a fighter and a survivor and does everything to return to her sister.

Peeta Mellark
Played by: Josh Hutcherson
Peeta is the son of a baker and the male tribute for District 12. He has been in love with Katniss for a long time. Peeta is loyal and brave, but can also act very arrogant.

Gale Hawthorne
Played by: Liam Hemsworth
Gale is Katniss’ best friend and hunting partner. When Katniss leaves for the Hunger Games, he promises her to take care of her family. Gale calls her “Catnip”. He is a true friend, because he keeps his promise and may even have feelings for Katniss. When he sees her kiss Peeta, he isn’t happy about it.

Haymitch Abernathy
Played by: Woody Harrelson
Haymitch is Katniss’ and Peeta’s mentor and a former Hunger Games winner from district 12. He is drunk, or at least under the influence of alcohol, most of the time. He sends Katniss gifts throughout the games to help her survive.

Cinna
Played by: Lenny Kravitz
Cinna is Katniss’ stylist. He’s a sly and witty man and clever with his fingers and even smarter in the mind. His fantastic design for Katniss’ clothes, increases her popularity. Cinna has a strong connection with Katniss.

Effie Trinket
Played by Elizabeth Banks
Effie is the District 12 escort and always happy and bubbly. She has a very colourful appearance and helps Katniss and Peeta to get sponsors. Effie is constantly bickering and arguing with Haymitch. She also hates it when people don’t have proper etiquettes.

Caesar Flickerman
Played by: Stanley Tucci
Caesar is a TV-host and interviews the tributes before they enter the Hunger Games. He’s an extravagant man, with bright blue hair and pearly white teeth who knows exactly how to entertain a crowd.

President Snow
Played by: Donald Sutherland
President Snow is the president of Panem. He is loved by many and hated by maybe even more people. Mostly the ones in the lower districts. Snow is vicious and can’t stand the fact that Katniss was so smart during the Hunger Games.

Seneca Crane
Played by: Wes Bentley
Seneca is the head gamemaker of the 74th Hunger Games. He is appointed by President Snow and his job is to maximize the excitement of the Hunger Games. He looks very confident but remains aware he's at the President’s mercy.

Favorite Character: Katniss Everdeen and Gale Hawthorne (sorry, couldn’t choose)

The Hunger Games, Sneak Peak

Finally we can catch a glimpse of the movie "The Hunger Games". It was announced that at the 2011 VMA's they would show footage of the movie. It's not much, but here is a Sneak Peak of "The Hunger Games" which will hit theaters in March 2012.
This short teaser already looks great and the music sounds really good. That can also be heard on the official website. I can't wait to see the extended trailer.

Preview: "The Hunger Games"

Let's talk about the upcoming and highly anticipated book to movie adaptation of "The Hunger Games". It's set to be released march 23rd 2012. I haven't read "Mockinjay" yet, which is the third book in the trilogy, but I loved both "The Hunger Games" and "Catching Fire". I'm very excited to see this be turned into a movie and I would like to share my thoughts with you.

Gary Ross is going to direct the movie. He also wrote and directed "Seabiscuit" and "Pleasantville" and he wrote the screenplay for "Big". "The Hunger Games" is going to be something completely different for Ross and I can't really say how he's going to do it. I don't know that much about him

Jennifer Lawrence is going to play the role of Katniss Everdeen, the heroin of the story. I haven't seen her in many movies, but I loved her in "Winter's Bone". She has great acting skills and she was even nominated for an Academy Award. After seeing pictures of her as Katniss, I just knew that they made a good choice by making her Katniss.

Josh Hutcherson is Peeta Melark. I didn't like Peeta that much in the book. But I do like Hutcherson, especially in "The Kids Are All Right" and "Bridge to Terabithia". He wouldn't be my choice, but I think he will do just fine.

I was much more excited about Gale Hawthorne's character. If I'm going to choose teams, I will have to go with team Gale. Liam Hemsworth is going to portray him in the movie and I have to say, he looks a lot like I pictured him. First I thought, 'hey, he's the guy from "Thor"'. Uuuh, wrong. That's his brother. I seriously never saw him in a movie. I saw pictures of Hemsworth as Gale, very nice.

Haymitch Abernathy is going to be played by Woody Harrelson. I think he's awesome, especially in "Zombieland". He will be a good Haymitch.

Elizabeth Banks is going to be Effie Trinkett. I love Elizabeth Banks. She was in "Spider-man", "Knocked Up", "The 40 Year Old Virgin", "Definitely, Maybe" and "Zack & Miri Make a Porno". She can play very diverse roles, so I think she can pull this off as well.

The role of Caeser Flickerman, the Capitol's favorite television host, goes to Stanley Tucci. How great (and creepy) was he in "The lovely Bones" and I liked him "Captain America: The First Avenger", which I saw recently. He can be that charismatic and rambunctious personality.

Lenny Kravitz as Cinna. Hell yeah! Totally how I would picture him. When I read the book, I was thinking of actors. Kravitz was the first one I thought of for the role of Cinna. I really don't know why, maybe because he's a bit excentric. I'm just a bit worried about his acting skills, don't know much about that.

Donald Sutherland is going to be portraying the role of President Snow. We all know how good he is while playing an evil, sleezy scumbag. Good choice.

I think I'm pretty happy with the casting, but still they have to prove it. There's no trailer yet, but here's a link to The Hunger Games Official Website . Check it out, it's very cool. Here are also some production stills.

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen

Two photos of Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Melark

Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne

My favorite picture so far, Katniss and Gale

I hope they stay close to the actual story and that they keep the crucial storylines in the film. I can't wait to see this movie, so far it looks very good. First, we have to wait for its trailer, I will probably comment on that if I get to see it.

In the Picture: The Characters from "The Kids Are All Right"

I only saw this movie recently for the first time. I loved it right away and I was really impressed with how well all the actors portrayed the characters. I real clever film and both funny and dramatic.

Nicole "Nic" Allgood
Played by: Annette Bening
Nic is a succesful doctor and has a serious view on life. She is happy with life the way it is and doesn't like change. So when her children let Paul in to their life, Nic is really hurt and worried that he will disrupt the family dynamic. Especially when the kids and her wife seem to like Paul.

Jules Allgood
Played by: Julianne Moore
Jules is Nic's wife and a bit more free spirited than Nic. Jules never cared much for a career, but has always been interested in landscaping. She is trying to realize that dream and becomes closer to Paul. In him she finds someone who respects her and gives her the attention she needs.

Paul Hatfield
Played by: Mark Ruffalo
Paul is a man who loves women but is also very attached to his freedom. In the early ninetees he donated sperm to a sperm bank and Jules and Nic were the receivers. Although Paul never aspired to become a father, he's very open to the idea of meeting the kids. And he likes being around them and changes the world of the whole Allgood family.

Joni Allgood
Played by: Mia Wasikowska
Joni has just turned 18 and is in a turning point of her life. She is about to leave for college but indifferent about a lot of things. There's this boy she likes, but Joni is too shy to give in to that. Meeting her biological father changes a lot for her, although she wasn't the one who initially wanted to meet him. She connects with him very easily and opens up to him.

Laser Allgood
Played by: Josh Hutcherson
Because Laser is only 15, he can not contact his biological father yet, so he sets up his older sister Joni to do it for him. At first, Laser wasn't all that impressed with Paul. He becomes very close with Paul and even takes his advice on ending his friendship with friend Clay, even though his mothers gave him the same advice.

Favorite Character: Paul Hatfield