The Hunger Games

Hunger Games

Sometimes, I think I must live in a cave.  Harry Potter was a phenomenon that I understood, but I was still trying to wrap my head around why the Twilight series was so popular, and then suddenly they announced that a movie was being made based on some book called The Hunger Games.  The world went crazy.  And I thought, "huh, where the heck did this come from?!"  Apparently, this trilogy of books came out and became an instant blockbuster, and I completely missed it.  And now that the movie was coming out, everyone I knew was really excited.

When I finally read the plot synopsis for the film, my initial reaction was that it was a ripoff of Battle Royale, the Japanese cult classic that pits teenagers and pre-teens against each other in a brutal fight to the death.  Now, that I've seen the movie, I am happy to report The Hunger Games is no ripoff of Battle Royale.  If anything, it evokes the old Greek myth of Theseus, with a small dash of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Running Man thrown in.  But the blend works.

I'm sure everyone knows the plot of the film by now.  But for the five of you who have not heard of The Hunger Games, here you go.  Every year in the futuristic nation of Panem, two teenagers are selected from each District as both tribute and punishment for past rebellions.  These kids are brought to the capital, trained to fight and then thrown into battle against each other until there is only one survivor.  The battle is, of course, watched by everyone in the country.  From District 12 comes Katniss (Winter's Bone's Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson, Zathura).  She's tough, resilient, independent, and a killer shot with a bow.  But is she going to be good enough to survive this brutal game and bring hope and glory to her downtrodden District?

There is a lot to like in this movie.  The cast is superb and surprising.  When I think a dystopian future, I do not think of Lenny Kravitz, Donald Sutherland, Wes Bentley, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, or Stanley Tucci.  Not at all.  But every single one of them pulls off their role with panache and skill.  This cast is probably the most pleasant surprise of the film.  The art direction is also top notch.  The film does a nice job of combining Greco-Roman influences with a truly futuristic look and feel.  I also like what writer-director Gary Ross (Sea Biscuit) brought to the film.  Granted, I have not read the books, but I thought the script and the direction had heft and weight to it, giving the film an importance that most studios wouldn't usually give to a young adult franchise (ahem, Twilight, cough cough).

But while the film was good, there were some issues that kept it from being great.  For one thing, Gary Ross depends WAY too much on shaky cam in a mistaken belief that it will add grittiness and realism to the economically depressed District 12.  Really, Gary, do we need shaky cam when we are looking at an old guy on a rocking chair?? What does that add to the movie????  It gave me motion sickness and I know I am not alone.  A lot of people seem to be complaining about this, and GOOD.  Shaky cam is overused and generally used poorly.  It certainly is completely unnecessary here and burdens the movie.  And it is a surprise to me because I've never seen Ross use this technique in his other films.  Oh, well.

There are also some minor complaints.  SPOILERS HERE.  I thought Cato was kind of a lame bad guy and nowhere near as menacing as the vicious little brunette who gets killed off in an unsatisfactory way.  I didn't like that Peeta seemed to somehow have a really complex paint and makeup kit with him in the forest...and I'm not sure where he was hiding it for most of the game.  I didn't think the relationship between Katniss and Rue was set up very well.  So when their story arc reached its conclusion, I certainly didn't feel the emotional wallop that the movie wanted me to feel.  I also thought the final fight involving Cato and the CGI wolf things was underwhelming.  And I have to wonder - if in this future, they can make flesh and blood wolf things appear out of nothing, then why do they need all those resources, like simple coal and oil, from the other districts?  Can't they just materialize coal out of thin air, too?  Seems like it would be easy to me...

Anyway, The Hunger Games overall was a pleasant surprise.  It was not a great film, but it was a pretty good one.  I'll be curious to see how this trilogy develops.

MVP:
Can there be any doubt?  Jennifer Lawrence takes this film and kicks its butt.   She is fantastic here.  She is the real winner, showing that she not only can hold her own in dramas, but can also carry a franchise on her shoulders.  She is a clear MVP.  I can't wait to see what she does next.

Side note: In a weird sort of way, I could imagine this as a sequel to Winter's Bone.  District 12 is an awful lot like the bleak Ozark setting of that film.  And there are definite similarities between Katniss and Ree.  Both are resilient young women who have to care for their siblings because mom has checked out after the death of their father.  Katniss and Ree are both good hunters, have a clever head on their shoulders, and are absolutely determined to do what they have to do for their family.  It's almost like Winter's Bone is about Katniss finding out what happened to her father and his meth lab, and then she gets picked as tribute for the Hunger Games.  And please, realize, I am completely joking about this.  But I couldn't help thinking and chuckling about it when I was watching the movie.  The similarities are there!!!

BEST LINE:

Peeta: I keep wishing I could think of a way to show them they don't own me.  If I'm gonna die, I wanna still be me.  Does that make any sense?

Katniss:  Yeah, I just can't afford to think that way.

TRIVIA:
The setting for The Hunger Games is the fictional country of Panem.  The name is derived from the Latin expression, "panem et circenses," which means 'bread and circuses.'  Basically, this was the old Roman expression for how the emperors controlled the people of the Empire - by giving them bread and violent games like gladiator matches.  It's a clever and accurate name given the subject matter of the film.  Also, to me, it also sounds similar to Panam, implying 'PanAmerican' and some sort of future where North and South America merge into one huge super country.


  

The Eagle

The Eagle

When The Eagle was first announced, it seemed like an oddity to me. Now, I love a good ol' Roman adventure. Everyone knows that if a movie has a sword fight in it, I'll make sure to watch it at some point.  But this one was a bit odd. It is an adventure written and directed by the team behind the Oscar-winning, intense drama Last King of Scotland, and starring Channing Tatum - the pretty boy dude from G.I.Joe, Dear John, and the dance flick Step Up. Tatum is about as modern day America as you can get. The very image of him strutting around in legionary armor was offputting. But my skepticism didn't matter. It was a sword movie. I was going to see it.

Based on the popular novel, "The Eagle of the Ninth," The Eagle is about Marcus Aquila, the new commander of a frontier post in Britain. He volunteered to serve in Britain, generally considered the edge of civilization and a bit of a dump by his colleagues. It seems that twenty years before, his father led the Ninth Legion out into the barren northlands (Scotland) and was massacred. But more important to Roman prestige than the casualties is that the legionary eagle, the symbol of the might and honor of Rome, was captured. This is a great shame that stains not only the legion, but its commander's children - Aquila has come to Britain to reclaim his family's honor. Unfortunately, before he gets a chance, Aquila is wounded in battle. So I guess there will be no reclaiming any honor for him...bummer.

Lucky for him, rumors begin to surface that the Ninth's Eagle has been seen in the far north. Aquila, accompanied only by his British slave, Esca (Jamie Bell) travels deep into wild and bleak enemy territory to recover it and his family's honor.

The first surprise is that The Eagle is actually pretty good! It's not amazing, but it is a fun, little adventure film, with good characters, some exciting fight scenes and a neat premise. Director Peter MacDonald seems to be going out of his way to make a western, albeit one that takes place in ancient Britain. All the cliches from the classic Hollywood western are here and used to good effect - the frontier fort in the bleak wilderness, the disciplined, occupying army representing "civilization" and the "unruly" native population, who of course have a really good reasons for not liking the U.S. Cavalry - oops, I mean the Roman Army. For much of the run-time, The Eagle tries to be one of those John Ford cavalry films from the 1940s, especially in its superb use of the natural British landscape. Only in this case, instead of John Wayne, we have Channing Tatum.

And Tatum is actually the film's second surprise. He not only holds his own, he's actually really good. The script lets him down at times, filling him with a few silly lines of bravado, honor and fury that don't quite ring true, but the fault is not Tatum's. For the most part, he is appropriately heroic and looks perfectly at home in the period sets and costumes, even in the legionary armor. In terms of the other actors, Jamie Bell is terrific as the slave Esca, and the other actors are solid enough to get the job done. There are a few exceptions. Donald Sutherland, as Aquila's uncle, just sticks out like a sore thumb, looking out of place and uncomfortable. In terms of the performances, the movie also commits one huge folly - the script manages to take an actor who is effortlessly interesting, Mark Strong (Robin Hood), and make him boring. I blame the script for letting down this great actor in what should have been a cool and empathetic role.

Overall, the movie also gets a bit flaky in the end, with miraculous recoveries and a badly edited climactic battle. But up to that point, this is a solid movie and a lot better than I expected. If you like old school adventure films, sword movies or Westerns, since that really is what The Eagle is, than I definitely suggest you check it out. 

MVP: The dancing kid Billy Elliot is now all grown up and he is pretty badass. Jamie Bell is the easy MVP of The Eagle. He has a difficult role - why would Esca, a British slave whose whole family has been brutally murdered by the Romans so willingly help out his enemy? There is no promise of freedom or reward. He just gives his word that he will help Aquila find the Eagle. I would normally question this, but Bell sells it. His facial expressions magnificently capture his conflicting emotions - both his hatred and respect for the Romans, and both his disdain and admiration for Aquila. Plus, he shares a good chemistry with Tatum. I wouldn't mind seeing the two of them on a further adventure somewhere down the road. Congrats, Jamie Bell, the MVP is yours!

TRIVIA: Aquila is Latin for "eagle."

BEST LINE: Aquila: "The Eagle is not a piece of medal. The Eagle is Rome."