THE HUNGER GAMES (2012) - 3 1/2 STARS

"May the odds be ever in your favor."

DIRECTOR: Gary ROSS

STARRING: Jennifer LAWRENCE, Josh HUTCHINSON, Woody HARRELSON, Elizabeth BANKS

Following the end of the Harry Potter franchise and the impending finale of Twilight later this year, teenage fans of popular books will be looking for a new series of films to keep them entertained. Step forth The Hunger Games. With the summer blockbusters including Avengers, Prometheus and Dark Knight set to dominate the box-office, one of the year's unlikely hits already has odds in its favour with the viewing public particularly the youngsters who'll no longer be rooting for Harry Potter or Edward/Bella but instead cheering on new fictional heroes who don't face the challenge of wizards or werewolves. It's not quite the perfect first adaptation of a renowned novel series, but its Battle-Royale setting makes for a gripping and at times brutal ride where even youngsters are spared no mercy....

Set in a futuristic society, a rebellion against the state has led to twelve districts being punished by having to provide two youngsters/teenagers to fight in an annual tournament known as The Hunger Games. The tournament is a game of combat where 24 contestants fight to the death to be crowned Champion and ensure their district never suffers again. When youngster Prim Everdeen (Willow Shields) is selected as the female representative of District 12, her elder sister Katniss (Lawrence) volunteers to take her place. Joined by male contender Peeta (Hutchinson), they travel to the Capitol where they are tutored about their participation by former contender Haymitch (Harrelson), before going through an intense training program as preparation for the tournament. They are also presented as rooted-for heroes to the cold hearted and uncaring people of the Capitol who enjoy the violent escapades of The Hunger Games. Ultimately once they and the other 22 'Tributes' are released into the arena, Katniss looks to hide away from some of her more bloodthirsty rivals who show no sympathy towards any of the weaker competitors who fall early on as it becomes a survival of the fittest.... 

Director Gary Ross (who made the brilliant horse-racing drama SEABISCUIT) succeeds in making the first book of Suzanne Collins's series into a worthwhile adaptation and for anyone who hasn't the books (like myself), this particular film sets itself as one of the year's big surprises especially with its appeal to younger audiences. Despite a lot of pressure being on its similarities to Harry Potter and Twilight, it manages to steer clear of being completely sugar-coated as a romantic fantasy with hunky men (most definitely for the latter!) instead opting for a more refreshing and at times brutal flick with steady camera angles during the pace of the action. For a 12A rated film, it does hinge close to a higher rating with its moments of violence which are quite shocking especially when seeing it happen to young people such as one 'tribute' having his neck broken and another one suffering a horrific death via a swarm of deadly wasps. But amongst the vicious horrors that our young competitors face, some of them are only children who are plucked from their homes and thrown into an arena that takes away their innocence and leads to them having to survive no matter what. However our heroine's scenes with fellow warrior Rue are touching to watch during the intensity of the game showing Katniss's humanity towards others. The world of The Hunger Games is also visualised to perfection with its stunning imagery of a futuristic world with many strange vibrant costumes and use of makeup (Wes Bentley's beard one of the standouts!) to present the carnivalesque feel of the city and its people. Compare that to the lack of colour used to depict the struggling districts where Katniss and Petta descend from. And while something like Twlight relied on its glamourous stars to attract its teenage followers, Games succeeds in relying on a stellar cast of experienced though not huge names to assist the film in its appeal towards audiences. Jennifer Lawrence continues her rise towards Hollywood stardom with another complex and strong female performance as Katniss, one of the year's first big film heroes who protects anyone she cares for in order to overcome the odds. Josh Hutchinson on the other hand is somewhat overshadowed by his female co-star but still plays a character we can root for and has a stirring on-screen charmistry with Lawrence as the film progresses. The more experienced actors get to enjoy themselves with Woody Harrelson lapping it up as drunk but caring advisor Haymitch (he'll always be Woody Boyd from CHEERS to me!), Elizabeth Banks has fun as the absurd Effie Trinket underneath all that colourful, flashy makeup and Stanley Tucci very entertaining as the flamboyant show host Caesar Flickerman.

As with many, many adaptations of renowned books, The Hunger Games does have its faults in trying to get everything onto the big screen but having to make changes. Although I haven't read the book, I have learnt about the film's failure to really show character development. Katniss, Peeta, Rue and Cato all get the development but the other 'tributes' are mealy reduced to either being cold-blooded, selfish killers or sweet, unfortunate individuals with no background on them whatsoever which is what the book did well to look at. There is also the survival story which unfortunately has its similarities to the plot of BATTLE ROYALE as well as the Arnold Schwazrengger sci-fi thriller THE RUNNING MAN which may put people off seeing a film which relies on an almost similar theme. Finally the 140 minute running time does make the film drag in places and doesn't quite come across as the exhilarating CGI-invested film that everyone expected.

VERDICT: It isn't quite a game-changer for young audiences though it should keep them happy (not unless they like seeing people their own age getting killed) but Hunger Games does have you asking for more with its dark and thrilling narrative while Lawrence's Katniss stands out as the new modern day action heroine. Move over Bella....

21 JUMP STREET (2012) - 3 STARS

"When did you go through puberty? Like at seven or something."

DIRECTOR: Peter LORD, Chris MILLER

STARRING: Jonah HILL, CHANNING TATUM, ICE CUBE 

Comedy films continue to do well with audiences at the moment and it looks as though that will roll on by with 21 Jump Street being the latest to spread laughter in all its raunchiness as it pairs two different looking actors together to provide a surprisingly successful on-screen partnership in this humourous though unimaginative adaption of the 'dramatic' television series from the late 1980s. Shows being turned into films have received mixed results in the past with the good (Naked Gun) and the bad (Miami Vice) but with this particular effort, it is just about okay yet absurd at the same time....

 

Several years ago, bickering students Jenko (Tatum) and Schmidt (Hill) had their differences during their time in high school together but years later they work together to graduate from the police department and become best pals. But when they mess up with making their first arrest, they are assigned to work on an undercover mission for fiery Captain Dickson (Cube) which sees them returning to high school as students in order to stop a drug operation taking place which has led to a student's death. Realising that school has changed for them since they left, the two men mix in with various students to try and find the people behind the supply with student Eric (Dave Franco, younger brother of James) seen as the one connected to those involved. Facing pressure to crack the case and as well as one of them being desired by female classmate Molly (Brie Larson), Jenko and Schmidt know they must uncover the perpetrators or face losing their badges....

Many people (like myself) wouldn't have known that the original TV series was serious compared to this tongue-in-cheek romp which surprisingly works well in its new genre. The laughs are aplenty here as you would expect with these types of comedies ranging from the usual gags to some completely farcical but hysterical moments. The main highlight would probably be when our two heroes take the venomous drug and go on the ultimate freak out with mass hallucinations and crazy antics causing them to lose the plot. It also pokes fun at the typical cliches of action films such as a thrilling chase sequence where the two men are pursued by villainous bikers which leads to certain moments not going quite right for them. The film also deals with going against school stereotypes particularly when the pair discover that Eric, for all his machoness as a jock, is actually sensitive about the environment. Normally there aren't too many acting partnerships to savour especially in this genre but Hill and Tatum deserve credit for integrating themselves within their characters and pulling off the banter needed for a successful duet. Hill, fresh from his Oscar-nominated role in Moneyball is practically the same as he has been with his previous comedy efforts like Superbad but Tatum on the other hand, more associated for his hunky, lead roles in GI: Joe and Dear John, shows his comedic talent to effect with the sarcastic and no-nonsense attitude required for his character. Ice Cube has fun as the moody and snappy boss who tells our duo not to seek help from Korean Jesus (one of the random moments of the film) while the likes of Franco and Larson stand out in their youthful supporting roles. But for those who may have watched the original TV series, there is a genius yet ill-fated cameo from one of Hollywood's biggest superstars which sadly puts all the cameos in the recent Muppets film to shame.

 

Stemming into the negatives here, the writing does let the film down and leads to an unimaginative story which relies on the various gags to keep the audience happy. It continues the trend set by previous cop comedies like Starsky and Hutch and The Other Guys in paying homage to the crime genre but it does all become predictable at times with how the narrative plays out. And while it is a hysterical film, the raunchy humour does become too disbelieving with overblown moments like Jenko and Schmidt trying to be sick by putting their fingers in each other mouths. One can't help but feel they're watching Superbad again and that seems to be a common trait with all these absurd comedies in recent years.

VERDICT: It's not spectacular in terms of story but 21 Jump Street will make you laugh at times as the newly established on-screen duo of Hill and Tatum work well together in this hit-miss comedy with lots of crazy antics. A sequel would actually be welcoming....

2012/13 FILM PREVIEW

With the Oscars over and done with, it is now the time to look ahead to the film releases that myself and many others can look forward to during the next 12 months. This guide explains the various films coming soon to a cinema near you with blockbusters, sequels and early award-contenders on the horizon both in the UK and the USA. From superheroes and fairytale characters to legendary historical figures and hobbits, it looks to be another breathtaking year for cinema....(P.S the schedule of these film releases are mostly based on the American line-up with some British release dates slotted in-between).


MARCH
One man set for a busy year is British actor Tom Hardy who is currently selling his soul by appearing in action rom-com THIS MEANS WAR alongside Reese Witherspoon and Star Trek's Chris Pine. Another big names star who has practically made the rom-com genre her own is former Friends star Jennifer Aniston who can be seen with her former co-star Paul Rudd in WANDERLUST. Sexiest Man of 2011 Robert Pattinson swaps fangs for corsets when he appears in romantic period drama BEL-AMI as he seduces not one, nor two but three (!) female co-stars in Uma Thurman, Kristen Scott Thomas and Christina Ricci.
One of the first big blockbusters is almost out in Disney's expensive action-adventure JOHN CARTER with newcomer Taylor Kitsch tackling mythical creatures in a film of epic proportions. Channing Tatum and recent Oscar-nominee Jonah Hill are the unlikely duo who team up together in the action comedy 21 JUMP STREET while Mark Wahlberg returns to bad-ass hero mode alongside Kate Beckinsale in the thriller CONTRABAND. Horror continues to dominate the year with THE DEVIL INSIDE looking a potentially harrowing experience to sit through while on a lesser horror scale Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson star together in Cameron Crowe's sweet drama WE BOUGHT A ZOO.
Another intriguing blockbuster sees rising talent Jennifer Lawrence star in the action-adventure THE HUNGER GAMES while The first of two Snow White films released in the space of three months comes out with Phil Collins's daughter Lily continuing her rise in Hollywood playing the title role alongside Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen in the campy looking MIRROR MIRROR. March ends with Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes returning for the action-adventure sequel WRATH OF THE TITANS though sadly Gemma Arterton is not involved though Rosamund Pike makes for a tasty and lovely replacement!


APRIL

The surprise nominee for Best Animated Film, A CAT IN PARIS is also out over here giving many people a chance to see what all the fuss was about with its shock nod. The biggest film reunion of the year (though not a franchise I've particularly warmed to), sees Stiffler and the gang return to the big screen with the long-awaited AMERICAN PIE: REUNION. Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt are paired up in the unusually named British film SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN while another late 2011 release over here is the period drama ALBERT NOBBS which features Oscar-nominated performances from Glenn Close and Janet McTeer. Henry Cavill continues practicing for his role as Superman with action-thriller THE COLD LIGHT OF DAY appearing with original action-stars Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver while the Razzie winner of 2013 looks likely to come from the Farrelly Brother's modern-adaptation of the silly comedy THE THREE STOOGES. Zac Efron continues to move from his association with High School Musical appearing in romantic drama THE LUCKY ONE while Emily Blunt has another 2012 release starring with The Muppet's Jason Segel in the Judd Aptow rom-com THE FIVE YEAR ENGAGEMENT. Aardman Animation are back on the big screen with Hugh Grant voicing the leading character in THE PIRATES!  

John Cusack is also back in action playing Edgar Allan Poe in the remake of the thriller THE RAVEN, which looks like the new Sleepy Hollow in terms of its gothic horror elements. But a more unusual horror film out over here sees the original Freddy Kreuger (Robert Englund) star alongside ex-soap stars Adele Silva, Ali Bastian and Martin Kemp in the unusually-titled horror comedy STRIPPERS VS WEREWOLVES (UK). 

MAY

But perhaps the biggest blockbuster of the year so far for superhero films sees Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) assemble for what promises to be one of the biggest action films of recent years with Marvel's THE AVENGERS. 

James Cameron's obsession with 3D returns with his re-release of the multi-Oscar winning epic TITANIC. Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST gets the big 3D treatment following the success of last year's re-release of The Lion King as we becomes guests to this enchanting story once again. Tim Burton's latest gothic film comes in the shape of DARK SHADOWS which yet again stars Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter alongside Michelle Pfieffer, Eva Green and unusually Alice Cooper. Sacha Baron Cohen's controversial traits continue with his latest comic creation as Admiral Aladeen in the dark-comedy THE DICTATOR for which he has already caused a stir with his ashes incident at the Oscars recently.

Rihanna makes her film debut as a naval soldier (randomly!) in the sci-fi action flick BATTLESHIP which is bound to be a guilty pleasure for me. Even more ironically another pop stars makes her film debut with X-Factor's Cheryl Cole appearing in the rom-com WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING supporting the likes of Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Lopez. Bruce Willis stars in his second film of the year, the drama MOONRISE KINGDOM with a talented cast including Ed Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton. 

The month ends with another highly anticipated return to the big screen as Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones team up again for the sci-fi action sequel MEN IN BLACK III.

JUNE
The second Snow White film hits our screens with a darker take on the fairytale named SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN with Twilight's Kristen Stewart playing the young princess with the fairly beautiful Charlize Theron bizarrely cast as the Wicked Queen with support from Thor's Chris Hemsworth who loves his weapons. Theron also appears in Ridley Scott's prequel to Alien; PROMETHEUS with Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace co-starring in the sci-fi thriller helmed by Ridley Scott. 

Ben Stiller and Chris Rock return to lend their voices to animated sequel MADAGASCAR 3: EUROPE'S MOST WANTED, a franchise which  bizarrely just keeps going. A random cast including Tom Cruise, Russell Brand, Alec Baldwin and Catherine Zeta-Jones star in the big-screen adaptation of the Broadway musical ROCK OF AGES while Benjamin Walker portrays Abraham Lincoln who tackles vampires in the unusual action film ABRAHAM LINCOLN, VAMPIRE HUNTER. Kelly Macdonald voices the fiery redheaded warrior in Pixar's latest animated adventure BRAVE. 
Steve Carrell and Keira Knightley make an unlikely couple in the indie-comedy SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD while Woody Allen follows on from his Oscar-winning film Midnight in Paris with another European-based film, NERO FIDDLED featuring Jesse Eisenberg and Penelope Cruz. The month ends with GI: JOE RETALIATION, the sequel to the original film from 2009 with Channing Tatum joined by Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis (busy year for him already!).

JULY

Ten years after Spiderman appeared on the big screen, Marvel have rebooted the franchise with a new story in THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN as Andrew Garfield takes on the role of the heroic superhero alongside Emma Stone. Oliver Stone returns to directing with his crime drama SAVAGES as Blake Lively gets given a chance to prove her acting chops supported by John Travolta, Uma Thurman (nice Pulp Fiction reunion for the pair), Kick-Ass's Aaron Johnson and Salma Hayek. ICE AGE: CONTINENTAL DRIFT becomes the latest sequel to come from the animated franchise while Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane directs his feature film debut in comedy TED starring Mark Wahlberg and the sexy Mila Kunis (Shut up Meg!). However the biggest film of the summer is set to come from Christopher Nolan's concluding part of the epic superhero trilogy as Christian Bale dons the black cape one final time as he battles Tom Hardy's Bane and Anne Hathaway's Catwoman in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughan and Jonah Hill team up for the sci-fi comedy NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH as an end to the month.

 

AUGUST
The Bourne franchise continues in August with Jeremy Renner taking over from Matt Damon as the recruit part of the program in Tony Gilroy's THE BOURNE LEGACY with Rachel Weiz and Ed Norton also involved. The Arnold Schwarzenegger film remakes come thick and fast with sci-fi thriller TOTAL RECALL the latest Arnie film given a new-look with Colin Farrell, Jessica Biel and Kate Beckinsale the new recasts. Arnie himself makes his badass film comeback after almost a decade as he, Jean Claude-Van Damme and Chuck Norris join Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham and Bruce Willis in the action-thriller sequel THE EXPENDABLES 2.  

Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis team up for political comedy THE CAMPAIGN while recent Oscar-winner Meryl Streep stars with Tommy Lee Jones and Steve Carrell in romantic comedy GREAT HOPE SPRINGS. Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton play husband and wife in Disney's family drama THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN while the kids entertainment keeps coming through animation with the freaky looking PARANORMAN featuring the voices of Kodi Smit-McPhee, Casey Affleck and John Goodman. The lovely and hardworking Jessica Chastain is back on our screens at the end of the month starring alongside Tom Hardy (busy fella), Shia LaBeouf and Gary Oldman in the crime drama THE WETTEST COUNTRY.

SEPTEMBER 
Ben Affleck is back in starring/directing mode with his historical action film ARGO based on the rescue of a group of US diplomats in Iran. FINDING NEMO follows on from Beauty and the Beast in getting the re-released 3D treatment while another horror sequel pops out in RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION with Mila Jovovich still going strong in the franchise. One of the first big award contenders sees Joe Wright and Keira Knightley working together again on romantic period drama ANNA KARENINA with Jude Law and Aaron Johnson. Brad Pitt returns to the big screen with crime drama KILLING THEM SOFTLY with the Weinstein's looking to support the film. The sci-fi thriller Judge Dredd becomes the latest remake to take shape as Lord of the Rings's Karl Urban plays the futuristic cop made famous by Sylvester Stallone in DREDD. Adam Sandler and singer Selena Gomez contribute their voices to the horror animation HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA while Bruce Willis pops up in his 5th film of the year starring alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emily Blunt (busy gal this year too) in sci-fi drama LOOPER. Clint Eastwood makes his first acting role without directing for a very long time, appearing with Amy Adams and Justin Timberlake in the drama TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE.

OCTOBER 
Tim Burton follows up from his live action film Dark Shadows with his animated film FRANKENWEENIE featuring the voice of his former star Winona Ryder. The tables are supposedly turned on Liam Neeson as he is the one in trouble with his daughter having to rescue him in action-thriller sequel TAKEN 2. Ryan Gosling who enjoyed a busy year in 2011 is back with crime drama THE GANGSTER SQUAD co-starring Emma Stone, Sean Penn and Josh Brolin. The fourth installment of the Paranormal films continue with PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 which is bound to scare everyone as usual.

NOVEMBER

Chris Hemsworth tackles the lead role in the remake of war thriller RED DAWN. James Bond celebrates its 50th anniversary with Daniel Craig reprising his role as 007 in the 23rd Bond film SKYFALL with Judi Dench, Javier Bardem and Ralph Fiennes signed up. A week later, another major franchise prepares for its end as Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner battle it out in the concluding horror adventure THE TWILIGHT SAGA - BREAKING DAWN PART 2. George Clooney and Sandra Bullock appear together in romantic sci-fi drama GRAVITY directed by Alfonso Cuaron. 

DECEMBER

Heading towards the end of the year, Bill Murray stars as Franklin Roosevelt in the historical film HYDE PARK ON HUDSON while one of the most beloved musicals makes it to the big screen as Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman star in Tom Hooper's adaptation of LES MISERABLES. The biggest comeback of the year no doubt is the return of the Lord of the Rings series as Peter Jackson directs his much-anticipated prequel to the epic trilogy THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY with Martin Freeman playing the younger Bilbo Baggins in the first part of the two spin-off films. 

Oscar-winning female director Kathryn Bigelow returns to the Iraqi scene with her untitled film focusing on the death of Osama Bin Laden with Jessica Chastain and Joel Edgerton starring. Another award-winning director also makes a comeback as Ang Lee directs Tobey Maguire in the fantasy adventure LIFE OF PI. Judd Aptow crops up another rom-com with his wife Leslie Mann starring with Paul Rudd and Megan Fox in the romantic comedy THIS IS FORTY. Brad Pitt stars in the post-apocalyptic war film WORLD WAR Z while legendary director Steven Spielberg directs the versatile Daniel Day-Lewis in the historical biopic LINCOLN with an excellent support cast including Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Leonardo Di-Caprio ends the year on a high with two successive film roles; firstly starring in Quentin Tarantino's western DJANGO UNCHAINED playing a villain alongside Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson and then playing Jay Gatsby in Baz Luhrmann's remake of the period drama THE GREAT GATSBY supported by Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire.

LOOKING TOWARDS 2013.....

Terence Malick follows on from The Tree of Life by casting Jessica Chastain (everyone loves her at the moment!) alongside Ben Affleck, Javier Bardem and couple Michael Sheen and Rachel McAdams in his untitled project about a man who reconnects with a woman from his hometown. Paul T. Anderson returns to directing duties with his drama THE MASTER starring another returnee Joaquin Phoenix and supported by Amy Adams and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Other award contenders include John Hawkes's lead role in THE SURROGATE, the Coen Bros returning to action with INSIDE LEWLYN DAVIS, Hugh Grant playing a group of despicable characters in CLOUD ATLAS alongside Tom Hanks and Halle Berry while David Cronenberg directs Robert Pattinson in the drama COSMOPOLIS. The big blockbusters to look forward to include Gemma Arterton and Jeremy Renner tackling witches in HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS, Henry Carvill taking on the iconic role of Superman alongside Amy Adams as Lois Lane and Michael Shannon as General Zod in the rebooted SUPERMAN: MAN OF STEEL and the concluding edition of the Lord of the Rings franchise; THE HOBBIT: THERE AND BACK AGAIN. 

Phew, so much I've managed to get through but in the end, there we have it, so many films to look forward to in the next year, it's been a lot to find out and write up but otherwise it looks as though we'll be spoilt for choice on the big screen. Exciting times lie ahead for cinema-goers....