Last night, I went to the midnight premier of the highly anticipated movie, The Hunger Games, based off of Suzanne Collins’ best-selling novel. I had been waiting to see it ever since I read the 1st of the 3 books, and I couldn’t have been more excited for this film. It had potential for greatness, and I knew this just by looking at the cast list! Also, with the story plot, director Gary Ross was bound to have a film that audiences would be drawn into.
The Hunger Games is the story set in the future, a future where the world is separated into 12 different districts after the war. Each year, in order to win food, the Capitol holds an event they call ‘’The Hunger Games’’, where one boy and one girl from each district are put into an arena, and fight to the death until one remains. Whichever district the one winner comes from, that district is awarded the food.
The film begins on the day of the Reaping (the day the 2 tributes are chosen), with Primrose Everdeen having a nightmare about being chosen as tribute. Her sister, Katniss, quickly comes in and comforts her. Katniss is characterized immediately as the provider/protector of the family, because she is very motherly towards her little sister. Once Prim is calm and fully awake, Katniss leaves Prim with their Mom, and goes out hunting for food to eat/trade. As she is hunting, she runs into her friend Gale, whom she has been friends with for many, many years. As the two are conversing in the forest, a Capitol carrier flies overhead. This carrier contains Capitol citizens that will be putting on the telecast of the Reaping in District 12.
At the Reaping later that day, Capitol citizen Effie Trinket announces that she will be choosing at random the girl who will be participating in the Games from District 12; the girl chosen is Prim. Katniss, horrified that her sister was chosen out of all the people, goes to her sister and bravely volunteers as tribute, in place of her sister. Katniss is the first ever volunteer from her District, and this makes her an early favorite with the public. After this, the Reaping continues with the baker’s son, Peeta Mellark, being chosen as the 2nd tribute. The two are sent off to the Capitol, and the madness of the Games begins.
The acting wasn’t outstanding, but I believe that Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman, Lenny Kravitz as Cinna, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta, and Woody Harrelson as Haymitch were all perfect casting moves. There wasn’t anyone in the film that I didn’t like, but I felt as if their performances could’ve easily been performed by a different actor.
The fast-paced shots, now those were impressive, especially in the beginning of the game, when all 24 tributes went for the backpacks. The editing of the shots was perfectly timed, quickly cutting from one fight to another, and not graphically showing the slaughtering. I also liked throughout the film how the shots weren’t always focused. I don’t remember the last film I saw with a shooting style like this, and I definitely appreciated it in this film. This is one of the best technical films I’ve seen, overall.
Watching the film got very emotional at certain parts; I will admit, I cried multiple times (and if you’ve read the book, you know which scene I’m referring to).
The Hunger Games was a bit of a disappointment for me, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. This is the first film that I haven’t been able to pinpoint exactly what bothered me about it, other than the forgettable acting performances and the script writing itself.
If you’ve read the books, you might be a little disappointed. If you haven’t, you will probably enjoy it a lot more. It is worth seeing in theatres, because the film had a lot of great elements to it, such as the costumes, makeup, cinematography, sound editing, set design, and some of the acting. This is not a film for the little ones, because there is quite a bit of violence, all involving kids from ages 12-18.
Tonight, my stepdad John and I were going through the OnDemand list on our TV, and debating what to watch. He wanted to watch Horrible Bosses, and I was pushing for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Ultimately, he surprised me and put on the film I have been waiting to see since November, My Week with Marilyn.
My Week with Marilyn Is based on the memoir The Prince, the Showgirl, and Me, written by the then 23 year old Colin Clark. The film shows Colin’s determination to prove to his family and himself that he can do something on his own. With this in mind, he goes to the famous actor/director Laurence Olivier’s office after hearing he is working on a new film with the most famous woman in the world, Marilyn Monroe. Olivier is unable to give Colin a job right away, because Marilyn won’t sign onto the picture right away, an event that foreshadows the rest of the issues that Monroe and Olivier will have during the production. Eventually Marilyn signs on, and Colin is given the job of 3rd assistant director.
At this point in her life, Marilyn has just wed for the third time to writer Arthur Miller, and Olivier is married to actress Vivien Leigh. Leigh is convinced that her husband will fall hard for Marilyn, and asks Colin to keep an eye on him, which he promises to do. Once production begins though, it’s evident that there is no sign of Olivier falling for America’s sex-symbol. He is consistently frustrated with his star, for good reason; she is always late, forgets her lines, and she has an acting method/coach he doesn’t agree with.
What most of the cast and crew don’t realize is that Marilyn is battling many inner demons during production. She is nervous to be a part of this cast, full of such experienced acting veterans, and she is struggling with being such a spectacle to the public eye. To help deal with these issues, she takes multiple pills to calm herself, wake herself, and to put herself to sleep at night. She also relies on her new husband, but about halfway through the movie, Arthur Miller has a conversation where he admits that he can’t handle Marilyn’s issues on top of his own, and leaves her on set by herself. This is where Marilyn and Colin’s relationship starts to blossom into something that could be beautiful.
Michelle Williams couldn’t have been any better as her role as Marilyn. She brought to life the fun and rebellious side of Marilyn, but also the not so commonly seen vulnerable, nervous, paranoid side of her. Williams has come quite a long way since her days on Dawson’s Creek, and if she hadn’t been up against Meryl AND Viola Davis this year, she would’ve won the Oscar. It was such an emotional performance that not just anyone could pull off.
The overall cast was wonderful, filled with many familiar faces: Kenneth Branagh as Olivier, Eddie Redmayne as Colin, Emma Watson as Lucy (a costume assistant), Julia Ormond as Vivien Leigh, and many more talented cast members.
With director Simon Curtis, costume designer Jill Taylor, and music by Conrad Pope and Alexandre Desplat, My Week with Marilyn is a wonderful film that shows the insecure side of the Hollywood legend.
