The Hunger Games (2012)

Running Time: 142 minutes 
Directed By: Gary Ross

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Toby Jones, Wes Bentley,

Screenplay: Gary Ross, Billy Ray and Suzanne Collins

UK Release Date: 23rd March 2012 - UK

Quick Plot: Set in post apocalyptic America, the Capitol select one boy and one girl from each of the12 District's of Panem for the annual Hunger Games televised event. District 12's Katniss Everdeen volunteers herself in place of her younger sister to compete against the twenty three other tributes in a death batlle where there can only be one winner.

Review: One of 2012’s most anticipated teen fantasy films is finally here and to put it simply- it’s fantastic. Hollywood is use to the teen book turn film by now, however The Hunger Games has everything in line making it unbelievably breathtaking while bringing a fresh flare for dystopian fiction.

Having a huge, devoted fan base, Gary Ross’ The Hunger Games has picked up anticipation from the moment the film was announced. With the high expectations, the film could very easily wallow in disappointment and shatter the delicate fan base, except the cast, the glorious cinematography and the script don’t let it fall.

Away from the fact it’s based on a book, The Hunger Games works as a film alone. There’s no need for prior research to understand the ruin and dismay that the population of Panem have to face. The first thirty minutes are executed perfectly by a ray of fantastic cuts from the gloomy, grey and bleak District 12 to the eccentric, colourful and bizarre Capitol. Katniss wakes to the cries of her younger sister in a nightmare, then sets out early to get good ‘game’ along with her best friend Gale. District 12’s poverty is enlightened when Lawrence rips a hand sized piece of bread and smells it; making it known this is a rare occasion. Katniss’ warmth from the fresh bread is short lived as it’s soon followed by the reaping. An almost unrecognisable bright pink Elizabeth Banks walks out as the white faced Effie Trinket, clearly revealing she does not belong in the district, and begins the annual introduction to the history of the games.

Ever growing with her talent, Jennifer Lawrence is faultless as our protagonist Katniss Everdeen. Becoming the heroic teen role model would have been a task and a half, yet Lawrence makes it look effortless. The film is unable to capture Katniss’ inner voice like the novel, but from Lawrence’s natural strength she completely glides her way to be Miss Everdeen physically and mentally. Katniss isn’t a push over instead she’s independent and will do all it takes to protect her family since her motherly instinct kicked in after her father’s death. Heck, she volunteers herself to save her sister from a death match where the odds are not at all in her favour to win- that is something special. She has attitude but a soft side, which helps make the film frightfully believable. Rising star Josh Hutcherson is the boy from tribute from District 12, Peeta Mellark Hutcherson, though unnaturally blonde, gratifyingly captures Peeta’s first appearances as uncomfortable and weaker opposed to Katniss. As the story continues, Hutcherson displays how the character grows, keeping to his vulnerability but portraying Peeta’s confidence that he finds in the games.

Though the games are the centre of attention, there is a deep insight to how important the build up to the games for the Capitol and the ways they are glorified as entertainment. Here we meet the stylist for District 12 Cinna (Lenny Kravitz), who brings warmth to Katniss’ as a friend and is one of the only people who she can bring herself not to snap at. These scenes before the games are beautiful and it is as if the book has been brought directly onto the screen. The grand opening where Katniss has to make her impression picks up pace while leaving the small feeling of worry over what lies ahead.

The screenwriters could have taken a risk and had the film following only Katniss on her journey from volunteering to be in the games, but thankfully the Capitol and gamemaker’s have a huge involvement. Their brutal toying and manipulation of the game matched with the commentary by Caesar (another perfect casting with Stanley Tucci) means that all areas of the game are witnessed like a televised event. It’s all a bit too familiar to events we watch on television now, which is the chilling part.

Gary Ross doesn’t just stop with having a perfect cast and brilliantly adapted screenplay, everything in the editing suite is at the highest standard. The soundtrack is haunting, captivating and enhances the rush of the games and the dystopian theme back in District 12. With the use of a handheld camera, quick cuts through the violence and close ups on the deaths, tributes and severe concentration on little features creates irrational, invasive tension. Though it shouldn’t be compared, these techniques correlate to the book’s precision of detail. Keeping it to a 12A has its drawbacks for an audience, but with the swift editing and camera work the deaths and violence are quick to leave a lot more to imaginations. Despite the cuts, the film remains horrifically and brilliantly brutal.

The Hunger Games never once lets you stop for air and keeps on going till the credits. Jennifer Lawrence gives another exceptional performance boosted by a fabulous cast and editing team. Gary Ross has certainly created the teen sci fi fantasy that will define 2012.
4/5

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Like Crazy (2012) - review

Running Time: 90 mins
Directed By: Drake Doremus
Starring: Felicity Jones, Anton Yelchin, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlie Bewley, Alex Kingston, Oliver Muirhead
Screenplay: Drake Doremus, Ben York Jones
UK Release Date: 27th January  - UK

Quick Plot: While at college in LA, British student Anna falls for American student Jacob and overstays her visa to be with him. After visiting her family in England, Anna finds herself unable to enter America and is deported. Forcing the couple apart, they battle timezone differences, new jobs and friends to try and maintain their love for each other.

Review: A film focusing on the realistic power of young love is rarer than first thought. Drake Doremus’ Sundance winner Like Crazy grasps a truly believable story between a young couple as they come to terms with being apart after a summer of passion and sweet romance.

Shot with a held hand camera and a script mostly improvised by the actors, Like Crazy is realistic enough that it feels almost like a documentary. It’s as if there is a real Anna and Jacob who went through a long distance relationship. It could even be argued that there is, as Doremus revealed the story is based on his and co writer Ben York Jones own experiences of when they were younger. However, mostly it’s easily relatable; looking at a real life setting, characters and events, there is at least one part of Like Crazy people have been through or will go through in life.

Even though the premise of the film is easy to follow, it’s Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin who keep the story alive and engaging. By being given a rough outline of the story by Doremus, the pair delved into the characters minds and aspects using a lot of improvisation to bring Anna and Jacob together. Alone, they are great however on screen together are their best moments as little dialogue is needed. In simple touches, eye contact and actions they overpower the film in tenderness with not a clichéd line or moment in sight.

Like Crazy has the perfect balance of acting talents, while the main focus of the film remains on the leads, Alex Kingston and Oliver Muirhead make a fine add on as Anna’s parents in a small role with a lot of meaning.

Without Jones and Yelchin’s passionate chemistry, the improvised script and gentle, realistic feel from the camera angles wouldn’t be enough for the film to survive as a sweet, indie romance. Luckily, their acting is the glue to it all, keeping it together over a few shabby moments. There are obvious flaws in the plot, where character decisions are foolishly considered or the rush of the story jumps from heartache to happiness and back again. It seems romantic that Anna would not return home in line with her student visa but realistically, you’d reconsider it as two months away from Jacob to then return without overstaying the visa is better than being deported and not being able to move back for a few years.

Furthermore, at times the characters seem irritably conceited and reckless. Actress of the moment Miss Jennifer Lawrence and a not so twilightly Charlie Bewley are used respectively as contrasts to Anna and Jacob as each one of the pair’s new interest in LA and London. They gain a lot of sympathy by being dumped and taken back when Anna and Jacob want them, which makes the lead characters a little off-putting and less relatable.

But it’s the realism the film holds which makes it so captivating. It’s not a sweet, happy tale of young love but an honest one. The couple’s strain after being separated is heightened in many ways over missing each other’s calls, questioning the trust of each other when they are absent and then once reunited.

Playing out away from the norm of romantic dramas, Like Crazy is about real young love and the print it leaves on all of us.

3.5/5

Like Crazy trailer

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X-Men: First Class (2011)

'Mutant and proud'

Running Time: 132 mins
Directed By: Matthew Vaughn
Starring:  James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult, Jennifer Lawrence, Kevin Bacon, January Jones, Rose Byrne, Jason Flemyng, Lucas Till
Screenplay: Jane Goldman, Zack Stentz, Ashley Miller, Jamie Moss,
UK Release Date: Officially 1st June 2011

Quick Plot: It's 1962 and mutants are unknown to humans. With the evolution of human cells, more mutants are discovering their powers like Professor Charles Xavier and Erik Lansherr did back in the 40s. Mutant Sebastian Shaw and his team of mutants are using their powers to their advantage to try and bring the human world to a standstill and let mutants reign. Overseen by a secret US government organisation, Charles and Erik join forces with other young special individuals, in hope that their new team can stop Shaw and Frost.

Review: 5 stars? Yeah sure why not, I enjoyed it, loved it and it's a new favourite film. Read on to see why.
 If you read my review of Thor you know I love Marvel. Marvel films for that matter, I have yet to read more comics. Even so, the stories and the superheros fascinate me. The X-Men trilogy are my favourite Marvel films and I'm not just saying that. I was never fond of Spider-man (although all that will change I'm sure..) and Iron Man and the Hulk are fantastic but it's X-Men that I've obsessed over for a few years now. Sadly as most of us know, X-Men Origins: Wolverine wasn't exactly the prequel film us Marvel fans wanted (I liked it because of Wolverine but it wasn't a good film) but I'm typing this as a proud Marvel fan: this is the film we've been waiting for. It's fast, exhilarating, classic X-Men humour, the characters are so sophisticated and yes the action is all there.
Matthew Vaughn is, in my opinion one of the most fantastic directors of today. Kick Ass, Stardust and Layercake are incredible and come on, you really can't get much more of a wider genre than that! Unless of course his next film is maybe a musical, horror or animation. His partnership with Jane Goldman is a beautiful team in it's self. Stardust, Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class are all partly written by Jane Goldman who I'm going to be honest, I want to be. The way the story on screen is much more deeper and passionate than you first think really grabs the plot line for the audience and makes this collaborative film duo's final product perfect. Vaughn has a way of filming his films, with so much, power (hey maybe he's a mutant too?) and brilliance I even noticed a few actions were shot, edited and acted out in similar ways to Kick-Ass which you know has got to be good. Some of my favourite scenes were edited like Hulk was, as a comic book, with parallel editing (my media knowledge edging it's way in here) which I found more establishable with the superhero theme because you soon forget that at first after entering the film.

The thing I liked about this film is that it wasn't in 3D. Thor was and even in 2D I could tell from the scenes that would have powerfully been in 3D would have been good but X-Men: First Class still didn't need this. Vaughn isn't one for huge amounts of money, it's about making the cinematic experience for the audience worthwhile. A few months back I was reading an interview with Matthew Vaughn in Empire where he said that he didn't want to cast actors who looked like Sir Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart instead cast people who he felt were Erik Lansherr and Professor Charles Xavier which of course is the right way to cast actors. Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy take the iconic characters and take them back to where they originated. Why Magneto has so much anger, why Professor X is so kind and grateful to humans. The one thing I certainly enjoyed was their bonding. Erik and Charles are like any usual best friends, even brothers, but in First Class there was always that uncomfortableness between them on screen because of course deep down one is good and one is bad. But Fassbender's portrayal of a character I have always been weary of made me love his history, his sensitive side and the determination he has to be unique, to be iconic and use his powers to the best of his ability. Fassbender has certainly got a great career going, his small role in Inglorious Basterds was great as was  his fantastic role in the 2009 film Fishtank. But it's no wonder that I'm fascinated by James McAvoy as Charles Xavier. I've had a little McAvoy obsession going in the past few weeks after watching the delightful Starter For 10 and the surprisingly incredible Wanted, he really does have a talent. I bet that on the set of X-Men: First Class, without the effects and computer generated images, reading people's minds was tough. (Haha) To end this awkwardness..the lead roles are fantastically portrayed and Fassbender and McAvoy have done justice to the characters.
The younger actors were my favourites! Jennifer Lawrence for all you film fans out there must have by now heard the news of the truly great casting for her to be Katniss Everdeen in the great book trilogy The Hunger Games. Lawrence was even nominated for an Oscar last season for her fantastic role in Winter's Bone which she deserved just as much as Natalie Portman did for Black Swan I think. Mystique/Raven has been a character in X-Men I've never liked, I've hated her arrogance, her way of misleading genuinely nice characters and being the biggest suck up to Magneto but after X-Men: First Class I've got to be honest- she's my favourite character in the film. Her story is emotional, typical and it works so well but it's all down to the way Lawrence plays her, so passionately and effortless as if she's known her tale for a long time. Her bond with Professor X, Magneto and Beast/Hank McCoy really are beautifully crafted and delicate. This film really did make me like the later evil characters. Nicholas Hoult as Beast and even Lucas Till as Havoc were perfect. All the younger cast for that matter, perfectly fit their mutations and had their own individual minds that I think is sadly lost amongst most films nowadays.
I could go on and on about how I loved the cast, probably one of my favourite casts for a film this year in fact! But I'd be here all night. I've still got to mention the cameo. The other week my cousin and I were discussing what cameos we thought would be in it. My cousin decided on a very, very famous X-Men character that I wasn't really sure about but yes you guessed it- my cousin was correct. I'm sure you know who I'm talking about if you're reading this anyway, but let me not spoil it for those who have kind minds. Let's just say, the packed screen I was in, myself and my Mother were laughing..a lot. It's very smart and is probably..no wait it is..the best cameo of a film this year.

X-Men films have a reputation for being funny. Not laugh-out-loud-comedy-superhero-film-that-is-stupid but my type of funny. Reference funny. I can't repeat the lines without spoiling the film, but Charles Xavier, Magneto and all the other characters who later go on to appear in X-Men 1,2 and 3 make small references which are hilarious if you're a fan. Going back to my review of  The Hangover: Part II I said that it made too many jokes about the previous film and couldn't stand alone, you could say X-Men did this. Especially with the cameos, jokes and characters but X-Men: First Class can stand alone. The secondary characters and the fondness of the newly discovered mutations are the funny side of it and I heard a lot of adults laughing in the cinema laughing. If you're a fan you're obviously going to love it, it's a great new X-Men story, a fantastic prequel and who knows? Maybe an incredible start to a new trilogy but don't go mad if you haven't seen the previous films. You don't need to, this film stands alone and I hope it will forever be standing alone and not grouped up with the other films.
Yes the effects were a little dodgy (mostly on Beast) and yes the film isn't exactly the best way of telling the bromance of Professor X and Magneto, instead it travels slightly off task and plays it in a safer way than going all on on an extravagant storyline but it's excellent nonetheless. As a fan, I knew how the film was going to end but I didn't want it too. In my ideal world, X and Magneto would have become bestest friends forever and ever. Everyone would live happily ever after and humans and mutants would live in harmony. But this is a superhero film and nothing can ever be this ideal. Of course I wouldn't have really wanted it any other way.
Am still unsure about whether or not I would want another trilogy, I would probably be happy with it if it was Vaughn and Goldman but if this precious story gets into the wrong hands I will be very angry.
Thor and X-Men: First Class have set a level for Captain America and Green Lantern. I wonder if they'll even come close to being as good.


Everything you want a prequel to be. Funny, moving and a great storyline. The characters are unique and it's perfect for any X-Men/Marvel fan. But if you don't like superhero films. Don't watch it. Simple.
5/5

X-Men: First Class official Teaser Trailer

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X-Men: First Class first official trailer!

Yesterday morning I saw online that the new X-Men film teaser trailer would be released early this morning (UK time) but unfortunately, I had to sleep for school (and trust me, I need my sleep in the mornings).

But I woke up to find the trailer online and watched it first thing this morning.

I don't THINK this post contains any spoilers, but in case it does I don't like ruining films for people. So if you do really not want to know anything about the film, don't read this.

A few of my thoughts on the trailer to say the least is just that it's beautiful. Well at least it looks beautiful for now. It sounds silly, but you can tell it's a Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman production, it has a Kick Assy (now that's a funny word) feel about it and I'm glad Vaughn has made it into something of his own.

A lot of people have said how they are unhappy with the choice of cast because James McAvoy doesn't look like a young Patrick Stewart or that the films should have had Bryan Singer direct this film as X-Men and X2 were both brilliant. But I'm against all them negative comments. I'm a big Vaughn fan, I love Kick Ass and Stardust which are both written by Jane Goldman too, so this film for me is high up in must sees for 2011. 

But I have always been a X-Men fan for many years now anyway, for them being my favourite Marvel comic books.

Back to the trailer I can't get over the soundtrack behind it. Once the trailers gets to 40seconds, my body got goosebumps then the trailer got going. I think the subtitles and all the clips included are fantastic and it looks like lots of action which I'm excited for. I like how you can already see Erik and Charles relationship as friends because they really do care about each other and I think it's going to be a great 'bromance' if you will. Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Hoult as Mystique X Beast is so cute and I'm totally 'shipping' it. Never knew about this storyline in it, but I must say I'm excited for I'm a sucker for anything romantic in the slightest. And today I also learnt that Lawrence and Hoult are in fact dating now after they filmed this which I'm also a huge sucker for on/off screen relationships.

I don't want to break down the trailer too much because I'll end up getting sick of it. But I guess it's pretty obvious I'm excited for this film.

It's UK release date for the moment is June 3rd. But I wouldn't be at all surprised if this changed.

I hope the full length trailer is released in good time and I will no doubt post about it soon.

The trailer is posted below.

   

 

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