The Lego Movie

Even as a kid watching Toy Story, I was aware of what I was watching, of how truly good it was. As I've gotten older and revisited it while watching on my own, with my niece, with my cousins, I really appreciate what a great, innovative, unique, creative story it is. That's a stand-alone statement, a movie statement in a bubble. How else has it impacted movies? Animated movies haven't quite been the same ever since, Toy Story's influence especially seen in Wreck-It Ralph and most recently with 2014's The Lego Movie.

In the universe of the Lego, an ordinary construction worker, Emmet (Chris Pratt), has spent his whole life trying to be a part of the group. He wants to be liked. He wants to be accepted, and he likes his life -- rigid though it may be. One day after his shift on a construction site, Emmet sees something strange and rather than report it, he investigates. A mysterious, beautiful woman, Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) is lurking around the construction site, and when he follows her, Emmet actually discovers a mythical object, the Piece of Resistance. His discovery leads Wyldstyle to believe that Emmet is the prophesied Special, the key to the resistance against President Business (Will Ferrell), seemingly a good president for Lego Land. Wyldstyle and a small group of Legos, the Master Builders, including their leader, Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman), are fighting against President Business and now, Emmet could be the unwilling, unknowing key to it all.

When 'Lego' was released in February, I wanted to see it in theaters but just never got around to it. The reviews almost uniformly glowed, and audiences ate it up with a current box office total internationally of $467 million. And in the end, it is excellent. Lots of talent assembled to lend their voices to the story, a very unique jumping off point, and creative in the same way Toy Story and its sequels are. Director Phil Lord and Christopher Miller do something familiar and make it memorable. Yeah, some party poopers criticized the movie for being one huge advertisement for Lego, and to a point, I suppose that is fair. But this is a movie that's more than that. You think it is one thing, and it goes somewhere else, but that's all for now. Some quasi-spoilers later maybe.

Like the best, the most memorable animated movies -- whether the modern age of CGI or the old school drawn cartoons -- there's got to be something that sticks with you. Here with 'Lego' it's something special and unique that will sound almost stupid describing it. Yeah, it is a world of Legos. Duh, right? Obvious but innovative. When a building gets knocked down, you hear the thundering....clicks of all those pieces moving around. When a water tower collapses, little blue "water" pieces rush after characters. When Wyldstyle adjusts her hair, that hair moves in robotic fashion JUST LIKE a Lego piece would. It sounds dumb, but those little touches go a long way in providing some great moments, putting a smile on your face. 'Lego' is full of such moments, in jokes for adults while still providing some laughs for the kids in the audience. That's where the best animated movies reside, somewhere in between, good for adults and kids.

I loved the voice talents assembled here. Some are recognizable the second you hear them speak while others take some thinking on as the story develops. A rising star in Hollywood, Pratt throws himself into the body of Emmet, our not so intrepid construction worker who could save the Lego world...or maybe not if he chickens out. Banks too commits, having some fun as Wyldstyle, a fiery counter to Emmet's generally quiet, well, everything. Freeman has some fun as Vitruvius, the wise elder who seemingly knows everything and serves as a guide and mentor of sorts to Emmet. The other Master Builders who become part of the crew include a clueless Batman (scene-stealing Will Arnett), ever positive Unikitty (Community's Alison Brie), Benny (Charlie Day), a 1980s spaceman frustrated with modern Lego technology, and Metal Beard (Nick Offerman), a pirate mutant with all sorts of enhanced body parts. It's a fun crew with a lot of variety, a bizarre-o version of the men-on-a-mission formula.

But wait, there's more! I'm a big Will Ferrell fan so it's always cool to see him throw himself into a fun part like this. His Lord Business is a great villain, over the top and goofy and always ready with a laugh. His enforcer is an equally scene-stealing Liam Neeson as Good Cop/Bad Cop, able to twirl his head around within a conversation, an excellent site gag. There's plenty of other voices to listen for including Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill as Superman and Green Lantern (desperately trying to be friends with Superman). Without giving too much away, also look/listen for Will Forte, Dave Franco, Shaquille O'Neal and a few others sprinkled in here and there. It's the randomness that works, especially when the Master Builders council is called, assembling all of the above with Shaq and the 2002 NBA All Stars, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, a feuding Gandalf and Dumbledore, some historical heroes and then there's Emmett, a regular old construction worker.

So all well and good, right? And it is. It builds to something special here that as I look back on it is criminally straightforward. It feels weird saying this with an animated movie, but there's a heck of a twist in the final act that brings the movie together, even managing to take the entire movie up a notch or two. I LOVED this twist. It makes a good movie into a great one. There are hints along the way, but I wasn't expecting it at all. This is a smart, funny flick that delivers a message without being heavy-handed about it (We all have talents and skills. It's just a matter of finding your place with those talents). Also, it's funny in a self-conscious way, including two songs, Everything is Awesome by Tegan and Sara featuring The Lonely Island -- listen HERE -- and my personal favorite, Batman's self-written theme of sorts (listen HERE), Arnett absolutely nailing it.

An easy movie to recommend.

The Lego Movie (2014): ***/**** 

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Oh, how quick the time goes. It seems like the first The Hunger Games was hitting theaters way back in March 2013 and doing it well, earning over $400 million in the U.S. alone. Well, it is based off a trilogy by author Suzanne Collins and as good as the first entry was, the series certainly held a ton of promise going forward. The early returns for 2013's The Hunger Games: Catching Fire were incredibly positive, earning over $300 million in just three weeks in theaters. Does it hold up to the pressure of the vaunted second movie in a trilogy sub-genre?

It's been several months since Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) survived and won the 74th Annual Hunger Games, both struggling to cope with what they were able to survive. Their victory in the Games wasn't so simple or straightforward though. The Panem government is struggling to hold the Districts together, the people seeing that the government isn't so perfect, all of it caused by seeing Katniss and Peeta's defiance in almost choosing suicide rather than one of them winning the previous Hunger Games. While struggling through their own issues, the Game's winners are required to go on a victory tour, taking a train across the 12 districts until they finally end up in the Capital. With each passing district though, the defiance and unrest grows bigger and bigger, leaving Panem President Snow (Donald Sutherland) little choice but to do something desperate in hopes of turning the tide in favor of the government.

SPOILERS STOP READING SPOILERS Because I'm not sure who's read the books, who's seen the trailers, who's looked for possible spoilers, it is rather difficult to write this review without giving away a pretty major spoilers about where the story goes in the second half. Watching previews, it's pretty obvious what's going on, but I don't want to be the one blowing the surprise so be forewarned as you continue reading. SPOILERS FROM HERE ON IN

My personal favorite of the trilogy, I was very curious to see what director Francis Lawrence did with the series' second entry. The second film in a trilogy is pivotal, movies like Godfather 2 and Empire Strikes Back setting the bar pretty high. 'Fire' does a good job setting up where the series will go, the third book broken up into two separate features scheduled for 2014 and 2015. Almost across the board, we learn a lot more about all the characters, the disintegrating situation in Panem. If there's a weakness, it's that at 146 minutes, 'Fire' is a little long in the tooth. The first hour is a little slow-moving in setting everything up, laying everything out with the feel of duplication. It plays a lot like the first movie, scenes repeated, situations repeated almost word-for-word. Thankfully, that's not the entire movie. Things pick up near the hour-mark for the better, the momentum picking up and never slowing down until the final credits.

What is never in question -- and wasn't an issue in the first one -- is casting Jennifer Lawrence in the lead role here as Katniss Everdeen, a teenager living in Panem's District 12, the poorest of the districts. Coming off her Oscar-award winning performance from Silver Linings Playbook, Lawrence adds to the development of Katniss, and for the better in a big way. She may be a teenager in years but in experience, she's a grown woman, questioning everything about what her life has become. Lawrence's Katniss still struggles with the spotlight, not understanding why she's being glorified for killing and surviving where so many others died. Her Katniss has become a hero, a beacon of the rebellion, a hope for something better, something she is quickly figuring out. Whether it be on-screen or just doing promotional interviews, Lawrence has a very natural, likable side, and she proves again why she was such an ideal casting choice to play Katniss.

All the other key players return as well, and with some new additions. I liked Peeta's development, Hutcherson capitalizing on a script that allows him something to do other than whine and look dreamily into Katniss' eyes. Sutherland too is spot-on, brimming with menacing intensity and trying to hold onto a tenuous grasp of his country. Also returning are Woody Harrelson as Haymitch, the former District 12 winner and booze-addled mentor to Katniss and Peeta, Elizabeth Banks as Effie, the group's agent of sorts, promoting them while growing close to each, Lenny Kravitz as Cinna, their stylist and Katniss' confidant, Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman, the TV host of the televised Hunger Games, Toby Jones his partner. With so many characters, it'd be easy for some to get lost in the shuffle, but that's not the case here. Each supporting character gets his moment to shine, Harrelson and Banks taking Haymitch and Effie forward, Kravitz doing a fine job as Cinna, and Tucci is ever the scene-stealer as Caesar, able to produce a laugh or a harsher, more emotional moment almost at will.

Where 'Fire' hits its groove is near the hour-mark, and here come the SPOILERS. In hopes of squashing the symbol Katniss has become, President Snow has a twist in mind for the 75th Hunger Games, the Third Quarter Quell. The competitors will be two winners apiece from each District, Katniss and Peeta forced back into the arena, this time created by Game Master Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman). The setting looks like the South Pacific, a jungle-covered island with a lagoon in the middle, but there's countless twists and threats awaiting the competitors as they see who will be the last fighter standing. Much like the first movie, 'Fire' is at its strongest during the actual Hunger Games. There's something primal, exhilarating, profoundly dark and exciting about these sequences. As a bonus, we get to know more about the other Tributes -- far more than the original -- including Sam Claflin as Finnick, the ego-driven District 4 hero, Jena Malone as Johanna, the vicious, cynical fighter who isn't interested in public opinion, and Jeffrey Wright as Beetee, the squirrelly mechanical and engineering specialist.

Sure, there are weaknesses along the way, especially the sometimes sluggish first hour. Taken as a whole, it's a more than worthy follow-up in the series. If it's not the end-all, be-all second entry in the trilogy, it's still very good and more than lives up to the groundwork Collins set up with her second novel. The ending especially works, doing a great job ending on a cliffhanger that should propel the series right into the final two movies. What else to look for? Liam Hemsworth as Gale, Katniss' quasi-boyfriend, and Willow Shields as Primrose, Katniss' younger sister, growing up at the most turbulent of times and maturing just as fast. And this time around, I noticed James Newton Howard's musical score far more, a worthy addition to the trilogy.

Where does this one stand? Fans of the series -- the books or the first film -- will no doubt enjoy this one. I liked it a lot, even loved the second half. I resent the three books being split into four movies, but like the rest of you jamokes, I'll be there when it hits theaters. 'Fire' does a very nice job setting things up, and I'm psyched for where things are going.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013): ***/****

What to Expect When You're Expecting

Brace yourself, it's not just a change of pace review. It's a BIG change of pace review. No, not just a romantic comedy....a romantic comedy about pregnancy. Oh, the horrors!!! Enter stage right 2012's What to Expect When You're Expecting.

From different backgrounds, jobs, marital/relationship statuses, five different women are all about to find out they're pregnant. How will they and their significant other handle the pregnancy and all its fun? Jules (Cameron Diaz) is a host and trainer on a weight loss reality show when she finds out that her boyfriend of three months are pregnant. Holly (Jennifer Lopez) is a freelance photographer who can't have a child, but with her husband is looking into overseas adoption. Wendy (Elizabeth Banks) owns a store aimed at young moms and after years of trying with her husband has finally gotten pregnant. Rosie (Anna Kendrick) owns a food truck and is stunned to find out she's pregnant after a one-night stand with someone from her past. Let the pregnancy hijinks begin.

Yes, this was a movie pick of the girlfriend, not one I picked on my own. Go figure, I didn't love it, but I liked it considerably more than I thought I would. From director Kirk Jones and based on a series of pregnancy help books, 'Expect' earned a decent $26 million in the U.S. and $83 million worldwide. The reviews are almost uniformly negative -- 5.5 at IMDB at time of review, 23% at Rotten Tomatoes -- and maybe it's easy to see why. It covers a whole lot of ground in 110 minutes with ideas of what characters are more than actually delving into said characters. I don't know, maybe I'm catching myself on a frustrated, negative swing as I read reviews, but what do you expect from a flick like this? It clearly wasn't made to rewrite FILM itself. It's supposed to be fun, emotional and dramatic, all rolled up into one. I liked it so deal with it, Internet.

The recent trend in comedies is seemingly to get every single actor/actress currently working in Hollywood who's available at the time of filming and make a movie. We're talking He's Just Not That Into You, any Tyler Perry movie, Valentine's Day, New Year's Eve and probably many more I haven't seen and am forgiving. There's a lot of talent assembled here so regardless of the thin characters, it's cool to see. Let's get going because I'm wasting my nonexistent word count. Diaz's Jules is dating Matthew Morrison's Evan, a dancer on a Dancing With the Stars knockoff, the duo having met while dancing together on the show. Lopez's Holly is married to Rodrigo Santoro's Alex who's understandably a little freaked out about adopting an African baby. Ben Falcone is a scene-stealer as Gary, Banks' Wendy's husband, supportive as he can be while dealing with his own struggles. As Rosie's baby daddy, Chace Crawford plays Marco, a rival food truck owner.

There's plenty going on at basically all times but two key additions (in terms of subplots at least) end up bringing the entire movie up a notch. Dennis Quaid plays Gary's Dad, a former race car driver who's remarried a much younger woman, Skyler (Brooklyn Decker), and is similarly pregnant. The dual pregnancies becomes a bit of a rivalry between father and son, Wendy's proving rather difficult, Skyler's the definition of ease. The other has Santoro's Alex introduced to a Dad walking club in hopes of getting him used to the thought of being a father, the group including Chris Rock, Thomas Lennon, Rob Huebel, and Amir Talai with Joe Manganiello as their single friend they all envy. Rebel Wilson is funny as Wendy's assistant and co-worker without a filter, Wendi McLendon-Covey as Lennon's husband and Holly's boss.    

With an almost schizophrenic, episodic story, things never slow down. The story bounces pretty seamlessly from woman to woman, ranging from montages at ultrasounds to all of them going into labor the same exact night and going to the same exact hotel. Crazy, huh?!? What are the chances?!? Maybe it is because the story is so quick, but there's no time to look for plot holes or analyze too much as to any faults or issues. There are some really dark moments -- one pregnancy ends in miscarriage -- and the finale has a twist or two (sort of, not really ;)). Harmless, entertaining story that I enjoyed more than I thought I would. Besides, even if it was really bad, you could just sit back and watch all the talent. Either way, it's a win.

What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012): ***/****

Man on a Ledge

Released in 1951, Fourteen Hours is a tense, straightforward story of a man standing on a ledge high above the streets of New York City and the consequences as crowds watch below and the police try to save the man. Fast forward some 60 years, and we've got 2012's Man on a Ledge, a movie that uses the same premise, adds a whole lot of unbelievable background before degenerating into a stupid action movie. Yeah for ridiculous!

Just days since escaping from prison and a 25-year sentence, ex-cop Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) rents a room in the Roosevelt Hotel and promptly steps out onto the window ledge some 20 stories up. He's almost immediately spotted by someone on the streets below and within minutes there are police and fire department on-site to talk him down. Cassidy requests a specific negotiator, Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks), and the stand-off begins. Questions immediately arise though. What are Cassidy's intentions? What exactly is his end-game? Across the street, Nick's brother, Joey (Jamie Bell), and his girlfriend, Angie (Genesis Rodriguez), are using the distraction to break into a heavily guarded vault owned by real estate mogul, David Englander (Ed Harris). How does it all tie together though?

What's good about this movie? For starters, the premise alone for its originality. It has tones of the original Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, and that's never a bad thing. A media circus and how people respond? It's hard to mess that up. From high up in the Roosevelt Hotel, Worthington's Cassidy looks down on somewhat organized chaos. Crowds gather, on-lookers taking pictures and filming video, some willing him to jump, others hoping he steps back into the hotel room. From director Asger Leth, those are the parts that work. A guy pushed to his limits deciding to jump or not to jump? The most basic of premises that does add a layer of tension, questioning and worry.

What's bad about this movie? Basically everything added on top of that story. There's just too much going on that tries to top off the premise of a man standing on a ledge about to jump. SPOILERS STOP READING SPOILERS Cassidy was set-up as a dupe in a "robbery" gone wrong, his goal a multi-million dollar diamond belonging to who? Harris' Englander of course. Cassidy obviously claims his innocence and is trying to do so in the most ridiculous, convoluted way possible. His brother and his girlfriend -- amateur thieves apparently? -- break into Harris' building and manage to break into his supposedly impregnable vault. END OF SPOILERS It's just all too much, ruining an at least somewhat interesting premise. Unfortunately, it gets dumber as the story goes along.

I like Sam Worthington. I do, but his selection in movies could use with some brushing up. He just isn't given much to do -- literally standing on a ledge much of the movie -- and leaves little impression. As the negotiator coming off a negotiation gone horrifically wrong, Banks is fairly solid as Lydia Mercer. Bell and Rodriguez are painful to watch, a young couple fighting like a bunch of teenagers. Oh, and they're robbing an impregnable vault with heavy security at the same time. Rodriguez is not a strong actress, and seems to be there to wear a low-cut shirt that shows off her cleavage in a red push-up bra. Not a complaint, just an observation. Harris is wasted as he sneers through his part with Anthony Mackie playing Cassidy's former partner, Edward Burns as Mercer's fellow negotiator, Titus Welliver as the on-site police commander, and Kyra Sedgwick as a story-seeking field reporter.

Even through all the holes in the storyline, I still had hope for this story as it developed. But by the end of the story -- and pardon the pun -- but this one falls off the cliff. What was mildly believable becomes ridiculous quickly. People start jumping from building to building and ledge to ledge, chasing from kitchen to stairwells and hotel rooms, and then BAM! Twists galore! None of it really comes together though, leaving the premise a somewhat enjoyable but ultimately disappointing end result. Too bad.

Man on a Ledge <---trailer (2012): **/****

Zack and Miri Make a Porno

First appearing in the public eye in the short-lived but much-loved Freaks and Geeks, Seth Rogen has perfected the role of the stoner, lazy, pretty regular guy. In doing so, he has basically split audiences right down the middle. Do you love his sarcastic, sometimes spastic delivery? Or does it drive you nuts, making you hate him for trying so hard but not getting laughs? I lean more toward the love. A different brand of humor, one on display in 2008's Zack and Miri Make a Porno.

Friends since they were in the first grade together, Miri (Elizabeth Banks) and Zack (Rogen) have fallen on some especially tough times. Sharing an apartment together, the platonic friends don't have enough money to pay for any of their bills, and the next month's rent is due right around the corner. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Zack has a plan. What if they starred, produced and directed in their own self-made porno and sold it to all the people from their graduating class in high school? With no real other options, Miri agrees so Zack assembles a ragtag bunch of performers and crew to film their lowest of budget pornos. Could the plan actually work?

Now let's spell things out. An R-rated comedy from generally pretty filthy director Kevin Smith about the filming of an amateur porn. If you haven't figured it out by now, this movie is downright filthy. The squeamish or shy need not seek this movie out. It still manages to be low-key and on a smaller scale. Much of the humor -- with an improvised feeling -- comes from Rogen and Banks simply riffing back and forth trying to come up with a name for their porn. Their original choice is a Star Wars knock-off, the aptly titled 'Star Whores' with lots of potential for sequels, but things out of their control force them to improvise. Think about it. Take a movie, any movie, and try to come up with a play on words, dirty version of that title. It's easier than you think.

Playing the title characters, Rogen and Banks were great choices to play the longtime platonic friends who haven't done quite what they wanted to in the 10 years since high school graduation. Chemistry in a comedy can be a forgotten thing left along the roadside, but Smith made two wise choices picking this duo. Obviously for one, it helps that they're funny. Rogen as Zack has his big outbursts, his over the top antics, but I've always thought Rogen is better when he's underplaying a scene with a casual, even quiet delivery. Banks too is one of the best comedic actresses around, fully capable of holding her own with the guys, even when things get pretty filthy. The funny aspect is a given -- a true must if a comedy wants to succeed -- but even when the story gets a tad on the serious side, Rogen and Banks have that easy-going banter that speaks to a long friendship with very little in the way of secrets.

Their cast and crew provides some of the other biggest laughs, starting with Craig Robinson as Delaney, Zack's co-worker at a coffee shop who bankrolls the porn in hopes of getting to see any naked woman other than his wife. Robinson is one of the funniest actors around, and he doesn't disappoint in this supporting part. There's also Smith regulars Jeff Anderson (Randal in Clerks) as Deacon, the cameraman, and Jason Mewes (Jay) as Lester, a regular guy with a "big" talent. Actual porn star Katie Morgan plays Stacey, a strip club waitress turned porn star, infamous porn star Traci Lords plays Bubbles, a stripper specializing in bachelor parties, and Ricky Mabe as Barry, a classically trained actor who finds a niche in the cast. Stealing every scene he's in, Justin Long plays Brandon St. Randy, a gay porn star Zack meets at a high school reunion, giving them the idea for his own porn production.

The best laughs to come from the actual production of Zack and Miri's porno, a story-less sequence of sex scenes set in the coffee house Zack and Delaney work in. Zack "writes" a script with some hilariously awkward lines -- delivered awkwardly and often like they're being read aloud -- and situations developing. Mewes and Morgan have one of the most clumsy dialogue scenes ever producing some great laughs, but it's Rogen and Miri's scene that had the biggest laughs. Zack's delivery man is delivering some cream to Miri's coffee house, and let the double entendres begin! The failed Star Whores plot delivers too, the cast questioning if Luke and Leia should sleep together, if Darth Vader can be a girl, and should Obi-Wan-Kenobi get some action.

The movie is genuinely funny from the get-go, and I liked it and will be recommending it. However, the last 30 minutes taps the brakes some as Zack and Miri struggle with feelings for each other they didn't know they had. It's not exactly a surprising twist in the story, but it sure is slow-moving. More than a little predictable, it's just not as funny as the first 70 minutes. Still worth checking out, but not the ending you're looking for.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno <---trailer (2008): ** 1/2 /****

The Hunger Games

As far as popular book series go, The Hunger Games trilogy by author Suzanne Collins is the only one I've fallen for. That sounds negative, I just liked them...so there. Harry Potter, Twilight, Percy Jackson, any number of others, I never had a whole lot of interest in them. With 'THG,' I don't know if it was the characters, the future dystopia, the unique setting, but I loved the books and raced through all three in a little over a week before the first movie was released March 23rd. Where so many other book-to-novel transitions suffer, 2012's The Hunger Games isn't one of them.

It's sometime in the near future, and North America has ceased to exist. Instead, a government and country Panem have taken over, the country divided into 12 districts ruled with an iron fist. It has been some 80-odd years since a revolution took place, the people revolting against their rulers. The government that took control in the aftermath has installed a brutal system of rule with a yearly tribute meant to keep the population in check. It is called the Hunger Games, and once a year, a boy and a girl aged 12-18 from each district is picked at random and thrown into an arena where they will fight to the death. It is a televised event, all the population forced to watch.

In one of those districts -- District 12, looks like Appalachia -- lives 16-year old Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), who cares for her younger sister, Prim (Willow Shields), and her mother who still struggles with the death of her husband in a mining accident. Katniss is the sole provider for her family and tries to calm Prim as they prepare for the Reaping, the yearly event where the 2 district "tributes" are picked for the Hunger Games. At the ceremony, Prim is selected but Katniss desperately volunteers to go in her place. With the male district tribute, a baker's son, Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), Katniss is whisked off to the Capitol City where she is prepared and trained for the Hunger Games and all its brutality. She can be told anything she wants, but nothing can truly prepare her for what awaits in the arena where 23 will die and only one will survive.

With many book-to-film transitions, my typical goal/objective is for the film to just not ruin the book(s) I've enjoyed so much. With Collins helping write the script, director Gary Ross passes with flying colors. 'Hunger' stays true to the book, the characters and the story. Any omissions don't hurt the movie, and any creative license goes with the flow of the book and movie. As for the future society, it gets things right. We're left in the dark as to the exact details, only seeing this totalitarian society rise up in the place of what we did know. The rich population in the Capitol are lavish, extravagant and favor heavy make-up and showy clothes. The outlying districts are just trying to survive, make it to the next day. It's still a world that feels familiar, but it is tweaked just enough to keep things interesting in all its despicable brutality.

Reading the books, I knew that Jennifer Lawrence had been cast as heroine Katniss so that definitely helped. I had a picture of what the character looked like in my head. No doubt this movie will sink or swim on how the individual viewers feel about her because she's in about 98% of the movie. This is an example of perfect casting...perfect. The sign of good acting is that you don't feel like you're watching someone act. Lawrence -- just 21 years old -- is an incredibly gifted young talent. Natural doesn't begin to describe her. It seems almost effortless with her. She's fought for everything she has in her life, and now she intends to protect her family no matter what. Having hunted and navigated the woods for years, she doesn't realize it, but she's perfectly suited to survive the Games. Good for her, not so much when her rival tributes see how talented she is. Lawrence makes Katniss a human being, not a character, just a teenage girl who's naive, strong, innocent and dead-set on protecting those she loves.

As for the rest of the cast, it's just gravy that they're uniformly and equally as well-cast, both the villains and heroes. Hutcherson has a good, easy-going chemistry with Lawrence, and his Peete has a secret that could help or hurt their chances at survival. Liam Hemsworth plays Gale, Katniss' long-time friend, the two teenagers realizing how special the other is to them only when death is on the line. The Gale character is developed considerably more in books 2 and 3. Rock star and musician Lenny Kravitz is an interesting choice (but a good one) to play Cinna, Katniss' stylist meant to build up an image of her for the viewers. Stanley Tucci is a scene-stealer as Caesar Flickerman, the amiable host of the televised Hunger Games, Toby Jones as his on-air co-host. Woody Harrelson is equally good as Haymitch, the District 12 mentor, a previous winner who teaches his new tributes with each passing year. Elizabeth Banks is surprisingly funny as the clueless Effie, the District 12 representative and guide for the tributes. As for the Capitol villains, there's Donald Sutherland as sinister President Snow and Wes Bentley as Seneca Crane, the constructor of the Hunger Games arena.

The 142-minute movie is basically dived into two portions; the intro in District 12 and the Capitol, all of it building that sense of doom that leads into the second half, the actual Hunger Games (the 74th running of the event). There are no real weak or slow points in the story, but the momentum certainly picks up once Katniss is thrown into the arena with the 23 other tributes. The intro to the arena is a high-point, each tribute on a pedestal waiting for a clock to wind down. Once it runs out, it's a free for all, some running, others running toward the supplies placed in front of them. 'Hunger' earns it's PG-13 rating, but it could have been a hard R easily. The games are almost entirely shown through Katniss' eyes, a personal, adrenaline-pumping, terrifying experience of a blood-soaked sporting event. There are some secrets in store, and the tributes never know what will be thrown at them. Credit also to composer James Newton Howard's score, memorable without being overbearing. We really only get to meet two other tributes, young Rue (Amandla Stenberg), and vicious Cato (Alexander Ludwig), the others mostly known as their district number and little else.

What I came away most impressed with was that Collins' first book in the trilogy, The Hunger Games, throws a lot at the reader. A transition to the big screen seemed daunting. A mysterious and vague -- but hinted at -- past, a long list of characters who were all interesting in their own right, and a futuristic world that seems familiar to what we know, but at the same time is vastly different. The movie doesn't just pick and choose what to do, instead it does an admirable job of making that transition. A lot of that can be chalked up to Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, a star-making role if there ever was one. An incredibly worthy start to a highly successful franchise. Looking forward to what the next movies have to offer.

The Hunger Games <---trailer (2012): *** 1/2 /****

Wet, Hot American Summer

It is either funny or it isn't, right? That is a comedy at its most simplistic. You either laugh/chuckle/cry or you don't. There's little in between. It's rare you hear someone say 'Well, it wasn't funny, but I liked it anyway.' I'm struggling to come up with a comedy that will be more divisive than 2001's Wet Hot American Summer. There is smart humor and there is stupid humor, and then there's this movie which doesn't really fall into either category. It just is. Yeah, I'm going existential on your asses.

I was introduced to this movie when I was in college, and whenever it comes up in conversation I will recommend it to anyone who listens. I'd like to think it is a really stupid movie that know it is really stupid, and is therefore....really smart. Does that make any sense? Eh, I'm probably over-analyzing this one, but I don't care. I love this spoof/satire of the 1980s summer camp movies. It takes the humor you know and know well and manages to spin it into this odd stratosphere where nothing really is what you'd think. I don't even know where to start so brace yourself.

It's the last day of summer camp at Camp Firewood in Maine in August, 1981. Camp director Beth (Janeane Garofalo) is trying to get all her campers through that one last day, and also stop her camp counselors from completely destroying the camp and themselves in the process.  She's got no idea what is in store for Camp Firewood on this day though. Beth also has started to notice Henry (David Hyde Pierce), an associate professor at a local college living near the camp, but that's the least of her problems. Nothing is going to go as planned today, and there's nothing she can do about it.

To say this movie has an actual plot in the typical sense of the word is misleading.  The movie comes from the mind of star/writer Michael Showalter and director David Wain, both members of MTV's skit show The State that ran between 1993 and 1995. Much of the cast from The State is working together here again, bringing an odd, unexplainable chemistry to this comedy that plays like a series of running gags. Title cards tell you the time as the day moves along (including one epic training montage that takes 15 minutes in real world time, watch it HERE), the antics getting creepier and weirder as the day moves along. One commenter at the above video said it is one of the stupidest, dumbest, most inane movies they'd ever seen. I'm hard-pressed to disagree, but I loved it anyways.

Because there's no way to describe the humor and the cast without some ridiculously detailed descriptions, here's a cliff notes version of what's going on. Counselor Coop (Showalter) is a bit of a nerd and has a major crush on fellow counselor, Katie (Marguerite Moreau), who has a boyfriend, Andy (Paul Rudd), who is in general an asshole. Andy is more interested in making out with Lindsay (Elizabeth Banks). Arts and crafts teacher Gail (Molly Shannon) clicks in an odd way with one of her students as she copes with her recent divorce. Gary (Zak Orth) is trying to hook up McKinley (Michael Ian Black) with any girl, but McKinley's gay and hooks up with Ben (Bradley Cooper) who is also running the talent show with Susie (Amy Poehler).

Meanwhile, Victor (Ken Marino) and Neil (Joe Lo Truglio) are leading a river-rafting trip, but Victor wants to get back to camp to hook up with the slutty Abby (Marisa Ryan). In the kitchen, counselor Gary (A.D. Miles) is dealing with cook Gene (Christopher Merloni), a Vietnam vet who's become unhinged since returning home. That's some, just some, of the chaos going on. Some bits are funnier than others, but the ones that work are amazingly funny.

The humor is of the odd, eccentric off the wall variety. It's the little things that work. Scenes end and characters don't know what to do. Kids run off into the woods, Orth's Gary walks off a pier randomly, Showalter's Coop goes and joins the other counselors standing against a wall. Merloni's Gene spouts the bizarre things he likes to do only to pretend he never said it. A trip into town ends in a crime spree with a drug trip. Rudd's Andy loses two kids to drowning (it's funnier than you'd think) and takes them to a "special pizza party," leaving them in the woods. Andy later pouts over cleaning up his breakfast on the floor...that he threw there. Lo Truglio chases Marino because...well...because he does. The talent show is horrifically awful, saved in the end by a camper (Kevin Sussman) with a special power, especially needed when part of a satellite comes crashing down on the camp. Yeah, you read that right. Satellite crashing into summer camp. Like so much of the movie, all I can say is go with it. 

I realize this is going to sound pretentious as I write this, but this is a movie you either get or you don't. You're either going to go along with the bizarre, schizophrenic nature of the movie, or you're going to question what kind of lunatic made this movie. I've recommended it to people knowing they probably won't like it, but you have to give it a try. If you hate it, I apologize, and I owe you one.

Wet Hot American Summer <---trailer (2001): ****/****

The Next Three Days

Master thieves, hardened criminals, hired killers.  Movies have a way of dramatizing and romanticizing those people into something they are almost assuredly not.  The life of a real criminal has to be something different from the one we as moviegoers see so regularly.  It's an entirely different world.  If you wanted to get into that world, where would you even start?  You want to do something you've got absolutely no experience or background in and have no idea how to get it done. Sound like a dangerous enough proposition? That's 2010's The Next Three Days.

In and out of theaters in a week or two thanks to some less than favorable reviews, I missed this movie last fall even though I thought it looked good.  So why didn't it succeed? Why weren't the reviews that good?  My first reaction was that -- and this will come as a surprise -- it's a good movie.  It's not an instant classic that will rewrite the genre, but it is unique, it is different, and in the end, entertaining.  From Crash director Paul Haggis, 'Days' tries to put a spin on the criminal underworld that as viewers we think we understand.  Facing a situation that could tear your life apart, would you go down a road that could easily end with a lengthy jail sentence and maybe even claim your life?

A professor at a small community college in Pittsburgh, John Brennan (Russell Crowe) is happily married to career woman, Lara (Elizabeth Banks), with a 3-year old son. Their life is ripped apart though when one day police officers burst into their home with a warrant for Lara's arrest for the murder of a co-worker. She's found guilty and even with a lengthy appeals process looks like she'll be sent to prison for life.  Seeing his wife truly start to crumble, John decides he will break her out of prison and with their family flee to another country.  But just a professor, what should he do? Where should he start?  Almost by trial and error, John starts to figure things out. A plan starts coming together when he receives a shock from his wife. She's being sent to a different prison in three days. If he wants to pull the job off, he's going to have to put it into effect now.

Who among us at some point watching a movie like this not thought 'Hey, I could do that'.  Okay, just me? Well, anyways, that's what makes the story interesting from your typical story of criminals trying to pull off a job.  Starting from scratch, Crowe's John has to figure out how exactly you go about busting someone out of prison?  He's Joe America, a middle-aged man with a decent job who's never committed a crime in his life.  He has literally no experience with anything illegal, but with his back against the wall sees he has to attempt something desperate if he wants to bring his wife back.

Russell Crowe is a great choice in the lead even if at first glance it doesn't sound like it should work.  This is Maximus from Gladiator or Ben Wade from 3:10 to Yuma.  Of course he'll know how to break his wife out of prison.  Maybe playing on audience perception going in, Haggis makes a wise choice casting Crowe.  He's that good mix of vulnerable and worried with determined and steadfast.  It never hurts that Crowe is a very likable actor, bringing the audience in on his side, maybe even more so as a family man.  What surprised me was the acting by Banks who I normally think of as a more comedic actress.  Consciously or not, Haggis and his screenplay don't portray her in the most favorable light.  Her introduction brought to mind a word that rhymes with 'itchy.' Haggis does leave you guessing about Banks' Lara.  Is she or isn't she a murderer?  It's resolved in the end, but Banks does a great job keeping you unbalanced with a not so likable character.

'Days' is a remake of a 2008 French film that clocked in at just 96 minutes.  If there's a complaint here, it's that 'Days' is a little long in the tooth at 133 minutes.  The first 60-75 minutes are necessary to show John learning how exactly he's going to pull this job off, some plans working and others failing miserably.  A tense failure at the prison truly puts you in shoes as nerves and anxiety rack his body.  A little slow-moving at times, it is certainly needed to set up the actual break which is the better half overall. Haggis has only hinted at how Crowe's Brennan will do the job so seeing it in execution is exciting.  In the process of putting his plan together, his name has popped up on the radar with two detectives (nice supporting parts for Lennie James and Allan Steele) trying to keep up with him.  Tension at its best with a prolonged chase dominating the last 40 minutes or so, the movie ending on a high note.

Thanks to some not so factual advertising, I thought I was seeing a slightly different movie than the one I ended up seeing.  Previews built up Liam Neeson as a crook gone straight who will help Crowe in his efforts.  Not so fast, Neeson is in the entire movie for one scene that goes about three or four minutes. A good part, but don't expect a big part. The whole supporting cast surprised me mostly because none of the names were really pushed in ads.  Daniel Stern plays the Brennans' lawyer, Brian Dennehy plays John's father with whom he has a rocky relationship, former Wu Tang member RZA as a drug dealer, and Olivia Wilde as a single mom who John meets. None of the parts are very big, but they are quick scenes that help move the story along, always keeping things interesting.  If for no other reason, you're wondering what's a guy like Dennehy or an up and coming actress like Wilde doing here?

While I enjoyed the ending, I felt like there was a lot of potential to go down a darker and -- in my eyes -- better finale.  We do get resolution about Banks' character, but all I can think of now is it would have been better to not know.  If Haggis keeps us in the dark, maybe that drives some people away, makes others leave the theater with a bad taste in their mouths, but he'd be trying something different.  Even if he just went a slightly different way, the ending could have improved.  As is, it is all right, especially the final shot on Crowe questioning what's happened and what's still to come.  All-around, a good movie.

The Next Three Days <---trailer (2010): ***/****

Role Models

As much as I like movies, I find myself actually going to theaters less and less.  It could have to do with the $20 popcorn/pop combo, but the $11 ticket sure doesn't help.  If I do go to movies, I typically prefer action, drama, epics, thrillers while usually avoiding comedies.  It's always seemed like a waste to me to spend that much money on a 90-minute movie, and then if that comedy isn't funny, we're now 0-for-2.  One that I thought looked good but never got around to seeing, 2008's Role Models, I caught up with on Netflix.

Much of the talent working on Role Models came from a 90s cult TV show called The State, a group that has worked together countless times since.  Watch Reno 911 and you'll see just about everyone from the cast working together again with this comedy.  But that's the problem.  There isn't a ton of comedy.  It's a good movie, an enjoyable flick if nothing else, but it goes long stretches without actually producing any laughs.  The cast is beyond talented, and the finale is pretty crazy, but I only came away liking the movie, not loving it.

A 10-year employee of Minotaur energy drink, 35-year old Danny (Paul Rudd) is having a mid-life crisis and on an epically bad day gets arrested with co-worker Wheeler (Seann William Scott) for a long list of felonies and crimes -- mostly minor ones that together add up.  To avoid jail time, the two have to do 150 hours of community service at Sturdy Wings, an organization that pairs adults with little kids who need mentoring (think Big Brothers and Sisters).  Neither is too enthused about the job, even more so when they meet their kids.  Danny gets Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), a teenager who is heavily involved in live action medieval/fantasy role-playing while Wheeler gets Ronnie (Bobb'e J. Thompson), a foul-mouthed boy who goes through "mentors" as quick as they're introduced.  

The basis for the community service is ripe for the picking, and in terms of the relationships the story develops between the 'Bigs' and 'Littles' as Sturdy Wings call them, the movie is a winner.  Danny and Augie find out both of them were forced to do this -- Danny by the judge and Augie by his mom (Kerri Kenney) and stepdad (Ken Marino) -- while Wheeler realizes Ronnie is just looking for a friend and ends up being honest with him, including THIS SCENE where they bond over their love of the female anatomy.  This also comes courtesy of a bonding montage set to an ELO song. But for the most part, these scenes produce a chuckle here and there, but they're never hilarious, side-splitting laughs that the previews made this movie look like it was full of.

I've always been a big Paul Rudd fun, but for most of the first half or so he seems to be sleepwalking.  Granted, the character kinda demands it, but he's not that funny either.  His character is depressed, and doesn't have the same energy that his characters usually do like Knocked Up, Anchorman, or Wet, Hot American Summer.  William Scott is the scene-stealer as Wheeler, a dude who loves what he does -- posing as a Minotaur mascot in energy drink presentations -- and ends up becoming a big brother/father figure to Ronnie.  Their early scenes trying to convince kids not to do drugs -- drink Minotaur instead! -- are perfect, especially with Wheeler decked out in a furry mascot costume. Both Mintz-Plasse (of Superbad fame) and Thompson are hilarious and show that kid actors can be as funny as their adult counterparts.

Some other worthwhile supporting players include Jane Lynch as Gayle Sweeney, the former drug addict alcoholic now running Sturdy Wings, a woman who has quite the nose for sniffing out BS when it's presented, and easy on the eyes Elizabeth Banks as Beth, Danny's recent ex and lawyer.  The whole breaking up subplot with Danny and Beth does drag though and takes away from the much-stronger parts of the movie.  Also look for Joe Lo Truglio as Kuzzik, a fellow medieval/fantasy member who speaks as if he was a knight from the Middle Ages.  The finale as the Medieval Battle Royale is priceless as Danny, Wheeler, Augie and Ronnie - dressed as members of Kiss -- do battle for victory.

Not a ton to say about this comedy.  I really liked parts of it, and others fell flat.  It is a funny movie because of the talent involved with the cast and crew, but it as if at a certain point they forgot to put more jokes or one-liners into the movie.  Worth watching, but probably not a rewatch.

Role Models <----trailer (2008): ** 1/2 /****