I don't know if they'd be considered great literature or not, but the Hunger Games novels were fucking
awesome. I read all three in less than a week and part 2 in pretty much one
sitting. I couldn't put it down!
The story is set in a future post-America North American country called Panem
(yes, it's based on "bread and circuses"). The country is divided into twelve districts (Thirteen was destroyed as an
example against rebellion).
Here's a rundown of the districts, but let's just save time and say One is the Capital and where all the
politicians and ultra-rich live and the other districts are less fortunate.
District Twelve, where our young hero Katniss lives, is a dirt poor mining area.
She lives in The Seam which is pretty much just shacks surrounded by an electric
fence that doesn't work. After her father was killed in a mining accident, her
mother mentally checked out and Katniss becomes the sole breadwinner and
responsible for raising her little sister, Prim. To do so, she hunts in the
woods which are off limits.
Each year, as a soul-crushing reminder, the Capital puts on The Hunger Games. I
won't go into all
the rules, but two children (one male, one female) from each district are chosen at
random to go into a massive arena and fight to the death. Yes, that sounds a lot
like
BATTLE ROYALE, but BATTLE ROYALE was underwhelming, so who cares? Anyway, shit happens and
Katniss ends up in The Hunger Games and it's...alright. The book was great, but
the film lacked that emotional element that really made the novel so addictive.
Also...the lack of Gale (and other stuff back in The Seam), the relocation of
the rooftop scene, the Cinna character was weakened, the changed origin of the
mockingjay pin, the pussification of the wolf mutts, the altering of the Rue
scene and the reduction of violence hurt the film. I enjoyed it and time flew
by, but it wasn't as awesome as it could have been.
My recommendation: devour the first two books, read the third and tolerate that
weak ass ending then watch the movie. Here's hoping the second movie is
rated R and awesome as fuck. That novel was so action-pack and rad I was twerking
around my crib while reading it.
Part 2 - The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
Part 3 - The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014)
Part 4 - The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015)
Prequel - The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Friday, August 31, 2012
THE DICTATOR (2012)
Sacha Baron Cohen is the lifelong dictator of the fictional country of Wadiya.
After the opening montage showing Cohen being a childish, spoiled butthole
(living a life of luxury while his people starve, playing a video game where he
kills Jews, holding his own Olympics where he always wins, etc.) Cohen goes to
America to talk to the U.N. about his nuclear program. While in his hotel room,
he's kidnapped by an assassin hired by his own right hand man and replaced by an
imposter. Stuff happens and Cohen is soon working at a grocery store run by a
hippy. Blah, blah, blah...he learns some life lessons and falls in love with a
Jewish woman. Yawn.
When Cohen was on Howard Stern promoting his film he was very funny, but I couldn't see exactly where this film was going and now that I've watching it I still can't see what the point of it was. The jokes were only slightly funny, the love stuff was silly, the character of the dictator guy was an asshole, the crude humor wasn't crude enough or funny enough, the political aspects has been done better in other films and the spoiled leader down and out in NYC aspect was done much better in COMING TO AMERICA.
I didn't dislike the film, but it's not worth wasting your time with. I'll never watch it again as long as I live. Skip it. If you need me I'll be in my room listening to "Sexual Chocolate".
When Cohen was on Howard Stern promoting his film he was very funny, but I couldn't see exactly where this film was going and now that I've watching it I still can't see what the point of it was. The jokes were only slightly funny, the love stuff was silly, the character of the dictator guy was an asshole, the crude humor wasn't crude enough or funny enough, the political aspects has been done better in other films and the spoiled leader down and out in NYC aspect was done much better in COMING TO AMERICA.
I didn't dislike the film, but it's not worth wasting your time with. I'll never watch it again as long as I live. Skip it. If you need me I'll be in my room listening to "Sexual Chocolate".
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
HELLRAISER: INFERNO (2000)
Detective Joseph Thorne is your average cop: crooked, abusive, dishonest...intelligent. Okay well maybe he's not average after all. One day while snorting coke, he's called to a murder investigation. After pocketing the money from the dead guy's wallet, Thorne also takes The Lament Configuration box that's found near the mutilated corpse. He then goes home long enough to insult his wife and traumatize his daughter before going to a seedy hotel and getting baked with a hooker. Later on he starts messing around with the cube. Unlike the earlier movies, hooks and chains don't shoot out of the box followed by an entrance of Pinhead and Friends. Instead it starts a series of almost David Lynch-style nightmarish events. The hooker he was banging ends up dead and in order to save his own hide Thorne blackmails his partner by making it look like he killed the hooker! At the same time Thorne starts digging deeper into where the cube came from. The entire time he's haunted by visions of demons and everybody around him getting murdered.
Despite the fact that Pinhead is only in the movie for like 3 minutes(!!!) total HELLRAISER: INFERNO is an alright film. It's not really a straightforward horror film but more of a tripped out MULLHOLLAND DR.-style nightmare (and yes I realize MD wasn't even out when this film was made). If you're looking for a Pinhead-fest then you're going to be disappointed, but if you go into it with an open mind you might actually enjoy it. H:I would've definitely been improved with a larger budget, but for what it is it's an entertaining watch. Will I ever watch it again? Probably not, but I don't feel that my time was wasted either. Check it out...or not.
Part 1 - Hellraiser (1987)
Part 2 - Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)
Part 3 - Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992)
Part 4 - Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996)
Part 6 - Hellraiser: Hellseeker (2002)
Part 7 - Hellraiser: Deader (2005)
Part 8 - Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005)
Part 9 - Hellraiser: Revelations (2011)
Part 10 - Hellraiser: Judgement (2018)
Remake - Hellraiser (2022)
Despite the fact that Pinhead is only in the movie for like 3 minutes(!!!) total HELLRAISER: INFERNO is an alright film. It's not really a straightforward horror film but more of a tripped out MULLHOLLAND DR.-style nightmare (and yes I realize MD wasn't even out when this film was made). If you're looking for a Pinhead-fest then you're going to be disappointed, but if you go into it with an open mind you might actually enjoy it. H:I would've definitely been improved with a larger budget, but for what it is it's an entertaining watch. Will I ever watch it again? Probably not, but I don't feel that my time was wasted either. Check it out...or not.
Part 1 - Hellraiser (1987)
Part 2 - Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)
Part 3 - Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992)
Part 4 - Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996)
Part 6 - Hellraiser: Hellseeker (2002)
Part 7 - Hellraiser: Deader (2005)
Part 8 - Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005)
Part 9 - Hellraiser: Revelations (2011)
Part 10 - Hellraiser: Judgement (2018)
Remake - Hellraiser (2022)
I've had weekends like this.
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