THE HUNGER GAMES (2012)

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)

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".