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 - Pete's Dragon

Director: David Lowery
Genre: Adventure/ Family/ Fantasy
Runtime: 103 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, Oona Laurence, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Oakes Fegley

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2021 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 29: A REMAKE

 
Description: The adventures of an orphaned boy named Pete and his best friend Elliott, who happens to be a dragon.

Review: Disney is rapidly turning its catalog of classic animated film into live-action movies. The original version of “Pete’s Dragon” is only partially animated, the dragon is hand-drawn. In this live-action Disney film, they created dragon Elliot in a more realistic way and it looks stunning.
Young Pete loses his parents in a car accident and disappears into the nearby woods, where he befriends dragon Elliott. This dragon has been a myth for decades for the nearby town. Meacham, one of the citizens, claims to have seem him once. His daughter Grace never believed him, until she finds Pete and hears his stories about Elliott.
With “Pete’s Dragon”, Disney returns to the warm family films that made the company so great. The emotions that are evoked are sincere, so that the makers can easily be forgiven for the straightforward type of story. It’s a magical, heart-warming story, with amazing visuals.  

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Reviews - Mission: Impossible - Fallout

Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Genre: Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 147 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Sean Harris, Henry Cavill, Angela Bassett, Alec Baldwin, Michelle Monaghan, Wes Bentley

Description: Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team, along with some familiar allies, race against time after a mission gone wrong.

Review: Seldom do movies in a series get better by each release. But for the Mission: Impossible franchise that is definitely the case. “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” is the sixth film in the franchise and the best so far!
“Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” was directed by Christopher McQuarrie and he also directed the sixth installment. The stunts and action sequences are bigger, more dangerous and more spectacular. And in this case, bigger is better. Tom Cruise still does all of his own stunts and that fascinates me. It helps the authenticity of the action sequences and makes it look amazing.
And the fight scenes are also fantastic. Perfectly choreographed. The same goes for the chase scenes. It doesn’t matter if it’s with cars, motorcycles or helicopters, they are all memorable. And then that bombastic music in the background.
But “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” is more than just an action packed spectacle. The story is strong and so are the characters. Twists, turns and surprises, all present like any spy themed film should have.
If you are a fan of the franchise, you shouldn’t miss this one. “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” is the best film in the series.

Rating: 5 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 18: Interstellar

Director: Christopher Nolan

Genre: Adventure/ Science Fiction/ Drama

Runtime: 169 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Wes Bentley, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, Casey Affleck, Topher Grace, David Oyelowo, John Lithgow, Ellen Burstyn, Matt Damon

Description: A team of explorers travel through a wormhole in space in an attempt to ensure humanity's survival.

Review: Christopher Nolan’s movies can be called cold, but certainly have emotion. The (anti) heroes in movies like “Memento”, “The Prestige” and “Inception” are all driven by human emotion like heart ache or jealousy. In “Interstellar” we also meet those characters. That’s not a bad thing though, when they are portrayed by great actors like Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain and Michael Caine.

McConaughey plays the disillusioned widow Cooper, former test pilot for NASA and now a farmer. The film is set in the near future, where the earth is exhausted and producing food is the main priority instead of science. What people don’t know is that secretly NASA is planning a mission to save mankind and move them to another planet, that can be reached through a wormhole. Cooper is asked to investigate the planet, together with a group of fellow astronauts. This means Cooper has to leave his two children and he can’t tell them when or if he will return.

The emotional scenes between Cooper and his daughter Murph are a highlight for me. They are so sincere and you feel it yourself. And although the drama is the heart of the film, Nolan focusses more on the scientific aspect of the story. Nolan likes old school effects, doesn’t use CGI if not necessary. The spaceship décor was build, very detailed and the robots CASE and TARS were all controlled manually.

The first half of the film is much better than the second and after two hours, you start to feel the length of the film. The happenings are randomly piling up and the characters can’t carry the drama anymore. And that ending, I don’t know.

Many say it’s Christopher Nolan’s best, I do not agree. Not even remotely. I think “Interstellar” is slightly overrated, although I can see and understand what Nolan wanted with this film.

Rating: 3/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 92: Gone

Director: Heitor Dhalia

Genre: Thriller

Runtime: 94 minutes

Year: 2012

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Daniel Sunjata, Jennifer Carpenter, West Bentley, Sebastian Stan, Nick Searcy, Socratis Otto, Emily Wickersham, Joel David Moore

Description: Jill Conway (Amanda Seyfried) is convinced her kidnapper has returned when her sister Molly (Emily Wickersham) goes missing.

Review: In “Gone” Jill is struggling to get a grip on her life, after she was kidnapped by a psychopath. He kept her in a hole in the forest, but she managed to escape. Because the abductor was never caught, the police doesn’t believe her. Jill is convinced the guy is still after her. When her sister goes missing, Jill knows it’s him. Because she will get no help from the cops, Jill is going after him on her own.

Amanda Seyfried broke through because of her role in the musical “Mamma Mia”. After that she never really got the chance to show the audience what she can do. In “Gone” she doesn’t get that room either. Although she isn’t bad, the story is just not executed that well.

“Gone” never manages to get me on the edge of my seat. The buildup isn’t all that great and the characters are all very one-dimensional. And the climax is disappointing. When the end credits role, you are wondering if this was really it. Because the characters don’t really reach you, the movie never grabs you.

“Gone” isn’t all bad, but it never surprises or ever gets really exciting. When you’re waiting for the twist, the movie is already over.

Rating: 2/ 5

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

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)