After the Oscars, I did give myself a self-imposed hiatus from the movies. Reboot, relax, and try to recharge for yet another great foray into the year in cinema. I caught up on old things I love ("The Bridges of Madison County," TV's "The West Wing"), some guilty pleasures (the original "Beverly Hills 90210") things I like a whole lot more than when I caught them the first time ("The Fighter," Douglas Sirk's "Imitation of Life"), and new things I had never seen before that now I'm having a bit of a love affair ("Junebug," "Spirited Away," and "Before Sunset").
But I'm finally ready to start giving the reviews of the things I've been seeing...the good, the bad, and the abominable.
The Hunger Games- With all that hype, all that fan girl anticipation, could writer/director Gary Ross and his team ever live up to the potential laid out by Suzanne Collins and her ever-popular trilogy? Yes and No. It's a thrilling film that does set up how high the stakes really are and what will inevitably follow as well as the colorful characters we will see. It has a sterling first hour, fully realized set pieces and some really touching moments as well. Jennifer Lawrence is able to find some of those layered emotions, and her portrayal of Katinss's uncomfortability with being the star is honed just right.
The film eventually pulls its punches in the second half though. Especially in regards to the violence. We're witnessing children killing other children...for sport, yet we never seem to feel like anyone is willing to look into that and ask why? Or....how having to kill affects these kids. Plus the camera moves and cuts so quickly as to avoid the audience seeing the atrocity of the games (and an R rating) that we're left just jumbled rather than shocked. It's just too long too. Grade: B
Titanic 3D- I never had the opportunity to see Titanic in theaters back in the day. My mom felt it was not yet appropriate for her fourth grader. So the opportunity to see it was something I couldn't pass up. And I'll say after all these years multiple viewings on both DVD and television, the film is still a great piece of work. Sure there's some wonky dialogue, and Billy Zane is hysterically off (especially in that moment where he goes all Rambo, pulls the gun and chases Jack & Rose through the sinking ship), but the romance is great, and the final hour as the ship is going down is incredibly thrilling. James Cameron made "Titanic" like Shakespeare's "Hamlet" in that it's one of those great kitchen sink pieces. It has something in it for everyone. There's action, romance, cheesy melodrama, and Bill Paxton. The 3D transfer was a nice touch as well. Grade: A
21 Jump Street- What could have been a smug and overly violent action comedy ends up being very funny and had a bit of a heart. Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum are pitch perfect as these young-looking cops trying to crack the undercover drug world of high school. When they arrive and see that they live in a world where environmentalism is in, being a bully and a jock is out, and hipster is in, it throws them all off, setting up even funnier situations. Has a great 80s throwback vibe without being so slavish it can't move forward. The end does get a bit "Pineapple Express" excessive with the violence, and the villain is a bit lame. Channing Tatum is a real star though, and the film shows that. Grade: B+
After the cut, the latest from Studio Ghibli, The Vow, and the teen rager Project X
The Secret World of Arrietty- Studio Ghibli very rarely makes a misstep...ever. This time Miyazaki takes only screenwriting credit as he promotes one of his top animators to director. Based on the children's book "The Borrowers" the film follows the always-excitable Arrietty the only daughter of the little Borrowers who live in an old house in the country. When Sho, an ill, young man with a heart condition comes to stay in the house his mother grew up in, Arrietty continues to be interested in the human world until things start to get dangerous for her an her family. The lushness of the animation is jaw-dropping. It's obvious they try to top themselves again and again with the style, and the dew droplets on every leaf, the overwhelming color palette all play to that well. The story is good, but not as creative or innovative as past Miyazaki masterpieces like "Spirited Away" or "Princess Mononoke." Like Pixar, it's hard to say that any of these films could be considered lesser efforts, but this one is merely very good instead of great. Grade: B+
Project X- Almost like clockwork, you can predict every time a film does incredibly well, that the lesser redheaded stepchild version will soon arrive with none of the verve or fizz of their predecessor and with none of the joy either. In what seems to be blatantly aping "The Hangover," "Project X" is a faux-documentary style account of a group of boys and the most epic party of all time. Now, I threw some great high school parties in my day, tons of people lots of friends, but I'll guarantee I still think that they would have run or tried to leave when the drug dealer with the flamethrower showed up....I've never wanted to punch a group of 17 year old so much in my life. Grade: D-
The Vow- What a waste. Two obviously game actors with thousand watt smiles and likability to spare are left with this limp and not-really-all-that-romantic romantic drama. The amnesia plot only gets so far, and frankly they don't handle the big revelation ending in the cliched way, which actually makes it worse.Tatum with his inherent sweetness tries hard, but can't save script from itself. Why is Jessica Lange there anyway? Grade: C
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