Green Lantern

 Green Lantern is one of those movies hat is far from great, but the harsh reviews that critics gave this movie ended up being pretty unfair in my mind. I think critics went into this movie with too high of expectations because of Thor and X-Men: First Class opening in the summer of 2011 before Green Lantern. Had Green Lantern opened before these two movies I believe the reviews would have been a lot more favorable. I felt that while it is not one of the best super hero movies ever made it was still enjoyable and better then a lot of other movies that have been put out by movie studios. Green Lantern ended up giving me exactly what I expect from a super hero movie with a strong battle between good and evil, a reason to care for the super hero and at the same time strong action with a decent story. Green Lantern though was one of those super hero comics that I know very little about, but the general powers from a ring that bends to the will and mind of the person wearing the ring to create anything the person can think up.

The acting in Green Lantern was a lot better then what I expected after hearing what the reviews said. Ryan Reynolds in the role of Hal Jordan who becomes Green Lantern, was really a lot better then what I expected going in. I knew Reynolds would easily come across as a likable hero as Hal Jordan, simply because of his ability in the romantic comedy roles to be a very likable character. I was not sure though how he would fare in the action sequences and if he would be able to command the screen as a super hero. In the end he really ended up giving a strong performance and I felt like he completely engrossed himself into the persona of Hal Jordan and Green Lantern. Blake Lively in the role of Carol, the main love interest and lifelong friend to Hal Jordan gives a pretty decent performance. While I am sure a big part of her being cast was because of her eye candy appeal, she showed she can simply be more then eye candy and I felt that she was able to bring a great amount of emotion to her scenes and she seemed to not only connect with her co-stars, but she also connected with the audience. Peter Sarsgaard in the role of Hector Hammond, one half of the villain for Green Lantern to go against. Sarsgaard has a great ability to play a role with such ease that it comes off as if he is not playing a character onscreen, but that he is truly that character. The progression that we see in his character is perfect and it is through this progression that we are able to see the depth as to why his character is overcome and allows the power of fear to control him into being evil, while on the opposite end of the spectrum Hal is able to use his past to overcome the fear and use his willpower. The rest of the supporting cast are very minimal, which has its strengths and weaknesses, but in the end all of the characters seem to serve a purpose for each moment in which they are onscreen.

The story for Green Lantern ended up being precisely what I expect when going in to see a super hero movie. While one of the big aspects in super hero movies of late has been the use of a darker, grittier story telling. The story for Green Lantern being lighthearted and not being serious, but having those moments with great comedy seemed to fit perfectly. Unfortunately, the story did have its downfall moments throughout. The aspect for the story was that there were really some characters that were glossed over when it would have been more beneficial to give the characters more development. One such character was that of Sinestro, with where his story arc is going for a possible future movie. I did not feel like there was enough back story and development with his story to know why he made the decision he did toward the end of the movie. With the movie being under two hours, They could have made the decision to have added more time in the end to give the characters some additional depth that would have only strengthened the movie in the end. The action sequence while far from amazing, they worked very well for  everything that was happening in the movie. The direction ended up doing a great job at making all the sequences flow seamlessly. The CGI used for the Green Lantern suit I felt was done very well and I thought that they made the suit look pretty awesome in the end. There were however moments where the CGI came across as being pretty CGIish particularly some moments with Parallax. Parallax, I felt could have been a lot more fear inducing, but because of a lack of strength in the CGI came across just as being a huge villain in size and not in fear.

Green Lantern was a super hero movie that was a lot better then what a lot of the critics gave it. The acting ended up being pretty strong and ended up giving the exact type of performances that is needed for a super hero movie. I felt that this movie had a lot more going for it then what the credits gave them credit for and while it did have its weaknesses, it was still a fairly enjoyable movie to watch. The story for Green Lantern ended up being precisely what was needed for this movie to be successful and enjoyable to watch. This light story telling ended up fitting the persona of Green Lantern very well.  While I felt that they could have made this movie a little longer I am giving Green Lantern two and three fourth buckets of popcorn out of five. This is a movie that is worth the price to rent and simply because it is a super hero movie it will end up getting added to the movie collection in the near future

-The Movie Man

Fast Five

Fast Five is the fifth installment in the Fast and the Furious franchise. After the original I would have never thought they would be able to take this franchise this far. After seeing the trailer for Fast Five I knew this would be a definite action packed movie that I would end up seeing and at the very least one that I would at least enjoy watching because of the fast cars. In this go around we are taken to Rio as Dom and Brian are on the run after breaking Dom out of prison, after a job goes wrong they are accused of killing three DEA agents, which puts a specialist team for catching fugitives hot on their trail. After learning this Dom and Brian plan a heist that ends up being one of those not as it seems moves.

Vin Diesel in the role of Dom is precisely what we have come to expect in this character of being kind of a meat head on the surface, but with the street smarts to get out of a lot of situations when more then brute force is needed. Over the three movies that Diesel has played in the franchise, his character has not really changed much and we have not seen much depth added to the character. Yet, his character is one that the audience cares and roots for, even though he pulls off heists in his street racing cars. Paul Walker co-stars as Brian O'Connor for the fourth time. His character has had an interesting progression throughout the franchise, starting as an undercover agent only to be on the other side of the law this time. Walker's character has some development that has gone on, but in the end he is still kind of the arrogant, cocky street racer, who makes calls on feelings even if it may not be the best decision in the end. Dwayne Johnson plays the D.S.S Agent Hobbs, who is sent to bring the fugitives back to justice. Johnson is the federal agent version of Dom and is a lot of brute force who is trying to physically out power the fugitives. Unfortunately, Johnson's character did not do much to impress me, I did not have the feelings of dislike that you want from the hunter in trying to catch the fugitives. The rest of the supporting cast all serve the roles perfectly and they all fit different roles so well, whether it is the comedic moments to the action they all take part. Joaquim de Almeida in the role of Hernan Reyes the true villain fits so well. He has played so many various villains that it is truly easy to hate him on screen and want everything to go against him. He is a devious and unforgiving crime boss who is able to run Rio through fear.

The story for Fast Five is nothing new and while it was far from groundbreaking it was still enjoyable to watch. The interesting part for me is that the heist part of the story was Ocean's 11 meets Italian Job with fast street racing cars. While some may say that having such a similar story is a bad thing, but the story worked for me. While the similarity to the nothing is as it seems  heist with the Italian Job, the aspect of the story that was similar to the original Fast and the Furious was a little stale. The aspect of the DSS agent being soft in the end, rather then bring in Dom and Brian, decides to give them a 24 hour head start, much similar in fashion to Brian letting Dom go free in the end. In the first film Brian letting Dom escape makes sense. In Fast Five Agent Hobbs letting them go seemed completely against everything we are made to believe in his character. We are told that Hobbs is the one they bring in when they need to catch someone because he always gets his man. So why would he risk his reputation for Dom and Brian? While they are able to outsmart Hobbs with some things in the end which work well I would have liked to see them outsmart him in order to escape.

The action sequences are over the top and many times it passes the point of ridiculousness, but that is what I think makes the movie so fun and enjoyable in the end. The stunt driving in the cars is not nearly as much as what was used in past movies. Yet, Dom and Brian  dragging a vault through the streets of Rio behind their obviously torqued up cars was pretty cool even though it was pretty unrealistic at being able to control a vault safe as much as they are able to. The action keeps everything moving at such a good pace in which the movie does not drag, but does not move so fast that we are not able to follow the story and the plot points that in the end are vital to the audience knowing what is going to happen.

Fast Five is an action movie that gives us some fast cars and fun action scenes. Nothing in the movie ends up being stellar, but all of the acting ends up being enough for what is needed. The story has its good points and a point or two that I did not love. I am giving Fast Five two and three fourth buckets of popcorn out of five. Fast Five is not a great movie, but it is one that is worth renting.

-The Movie Man

The Avengers

After five individual super hero movies, The Avengers ends up being the culmination of these movies and finally getting to see the forming up of The Avengers. Once the rumors stated flying of The Avengers movie I was very excited for this movie to finally come about. The buzz for The Avengers has been huge that while they had a good advertising push for the movie, the real push for The Avengers has been the fact that the five individual movies have been strong representations. With this it has truly only added to the expectation and excitement that I had for The Avengers. One of the greatest strengths I found throughout this movie was that it had that huge feel of a comic book that it is light and funny while still being a great action movie.

The acting continued in The Avengers to be just as strong and enjoyable as the performances that came about in the individual super hero storyline movies. Robert Downey Jr. once again in the role of Tony Stark/Iron Man fits perfectly in every scene he is in. The development that has taken place with his character has been minimal, but it has worked perfectly because he plays the eccentric billionaire playboy very well. His character flows so well with all of the characters in such a way that the one-liners come off the cuff so smooth and with such an ease that you feel like he is just talking normally and not going off of a script. With the way Downey Jr. is able to come off with such an ease that I feel like you do not view as him playing a role, but that he is truly Tony Stark/Iron Man. Chris Hemsworth in his role of Thor really showed more then just strength, but also a caring emotion throughout the movie that was not as prevalent in the Thor movie. This caring side came out strongest in his interactions with his brother Loki. While he could have easily just been physical and overpower Loki with his strength, he tries to appeal to his brother in trying to tell him how much he still cared for him and that he wanted his brother that he grew up with back and that there was still time for Loki to turn things around. Mark Ruffalo in the role of Bruce Banner/The Hulk was the biggest wild card going into this movie. Being the third iteration of The Hulk I was not sure how I felt about him in the role going into the movie. After seeing him in the role he ended up fitting the role very well. He ended up really having the look that you would expect Bruce Banner to have especially after being in hiding in third world countries for so long. Tom Hiddleston in the role of Loki once again he played the villain perfectly. The audience in this go around immediately does not like Loki, and as the movie continues forward the way he commands the screen works. The character of Loki is a strong villain for the Marvel franchise, of the opponents so far he has been the strongest and his character development has worked so well. While he imposes the fear in all of us, I am sure that many can relate in some ways to Loki and the feeling he is the son that can not compare at all to the power of Thor. The rest of the cast all do similar strong performances. It was nice for the role of Nick Fury to be more prominent and Samuel L. Jackson does a strong job. Likewise Scarlett Johansson in the role of Black Widow/Natasha is able to twist and get her out of a lot of different sticky situations.

The story for The Avengers was really done well. Having a movie that features six separate super heroes working together to defend the Earth is a story that could easily get muddled with so many different superheroes  or in trying to avoid this so much that we feel like we are viewing the depth from miles away. I felt that the story was brought about perfectly in the simple fact that we were not thrown into the team being together and working together, instead we get to see the super heroes having the issues that cause them to be at each other's throats throughout. Director Joss Whedon is truly spot on with The Avengers. Whedon's scripts usually include clever banter, gripping action sequences and an air of mystery and The Avengers is no different. Whedon has an utter love for comic books, and it is proudly put on display in The Avengers. The feel for this movie works perfectly as Whedon gives each super hero moments to shine and during these moments the super heroes take full advantage of these moments. Whedon has such a great ability to bring everything together with such great pacing, even though The Avengers  is two and a half hours long the pacing was set perfectly that it truly did not feel like it was that long of a movie.

In The Avengers they are able to successfully give us a full of action movie, that has great moments of feeling light and not an overly serious movie through the use of clever banter and off the cuff one-liners throughout the movie. While Tony Stark seems to have the most of the one-liners, most all of the main characters get these one-liners from time to time and they have been written into the script so seamlessly that nothing feels forced from the comedy. A lot of times in action movies you get the one character that is the comic relief and other then that the purpose is not clear as to why they are even in the movie. Because of that by the end the jokes seem old and forced by midway through the movie. The Avengers spreads the humor out so well that you never feel bored with the comedy. To counter the comedy Whedon gives the audience some great and nearly perfect action sequences The camera angles are set perfectly for all of the fighting, because you were able to sit there and watch the action unfold and you actually could tell who was hitting who. With the camera not being the shaky action where in wanting you to feel like such a part of the action that you do not know what is actually happening, it works greatly to actually know what is going on with the action sequences.

I went in to The Avengers with very high expectations, because of how well executed the individual super hero movies had been I expected no less. The Avengers went out and improved on the individual movies. Whedon in his directing was perfect with his touch as he gave the audience perfect moments of each super hero. While Downey Jr. in the role of Tony Stark was just as charismatic and perfect as he had been in the Iron Man movies, it ended up being the interaction between all the characters and the chemistry that was strong between them all that really helped make The Avengers be such a strong movie. The comedy and action sequences flowed together perfectly. The Avengers has been the best movie I have seen in a while, that is why I am giving The Avengers four and a quarter buckets of popcorn out of five.  The Avengers was well worth the price for a ticket to see in the theaters and even after seeing I would be very intrigued to go back and see it in 3D/IMAX.

-The Movie Man

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

Years after the original trilogy for Star Wars Episodes IV, V and VI, George Lucas came out with the prequel trilogy for Star Wars starting with Episode I: The Phantom Menace. I can still remember all of the excitement that was around for the first prequel and I remember for myself how excited I was to be able to see my first Star Wars movie in the movie theater. Being in high school, my high school did a midnight movie night the night Star Wars: The Phantom Menace opened. Going to the theater we got there about ninety minutes before the movie was supposed to start and the line at the Watergardens Cinemas went three quarters of the way around the building (for those of you youngsters that read my blog reviews, this was back in the day when movie theaters did not have assigned seating, but your seat was decided on a first come first serve basis). While there were extremely harsh reviews about The Phantom Menace by various critics, I still do not see why they were so hard on the movie, while it was far from the best movie ever made, it was still a fun movie that one can truly enjoy and like most of what people want is an entertaining movie that gives the audience a conflict between good and evil is precisely what we get in The Phantom Menace.

An interesting aspect that was present in The Phantom Menace and it happens in all of the Star Wars movies is that of while there is one main story arc we get multiple characters own stories and how they all intertwine within the main story arc. Liam Neeson in the role of Qui-Gon, a Jedi master who ends up being placed right in the middle of the conflict between the Trade Federation and the People of Naboo. Neeson in my opinion was perfect for the role, he plays a Jedi master with an amazing stoic ability, in a way that he is precisely how I have always viewed a Jedi master to be. Yet we learn throughout the movie that he will sometimes do unnecessary things and has also even defied the Jedi Council from time to time when he felt it was the right thing to do. While the character of Qui-Gon was an interesting one to follow, when word of a Star Wars prequel came about the part everyone had an interest in was who would be cast in the role of Obi-Wan. Ewan McGregor ended up in the role and it made for an interesting story path to see him as a Jedi apprentice, while knowing how his path as a Jedi will end up. McGregor gives a good performance as we get to see how Obi-Wan was when younger and get to see him as he is still in the learning stage of trying to understand the force and how to discern his feelings, just like he ends up teaching Luke in episode IV. While she may have been in some roles before this, this was the first role I had ever seen Natalie Portman in as Queen Amidala/Padme, the young Queen of Naboo. She plays the role perfectly as the audience feels her plight that her and her people face because of the Trade Federation. She played the role with such courage especially since Since Queen Amidala is in her teens, and the fact she is going against older foes. Along with the role of Obi-Wan, where Anakin would fall was another character people were immediately interested in seeing. Jake Lloyd in the role of our young Anakin does an admirable job. While the role did not require too much of him, in the moments when he had to show the emotions any boys might feel he gave those moments his all. Particularly, the fear he is feeling as he is leaving his mom behind to possibly go on and become a Jedi had to be a scary and frightening moment for a young boy have to face.

The rest of the supporting cast all do such a good job (excluding Jar Jar Binks). The role of the Sith Lord is not officially listed in the credits, so in case some of you have never seen the prequel trilogy I will not reveal who the actor is playing the role. However, he plays the role perfectly, as his role is one that relies on a lot of mysteriousness. His role is done well and his voice has a strong edge to it that when he speaks you can feel the power of the dark side of the force coming out in every word he says. Along with the Sith Lord we have his apprentice Darth Maul played by Ray Park. Darth Maul in the end only has two or three lines throughout the movie so this only adds to our questions of who these Siths really are. His intimidation factor is a huge aspect of his character from the protruding horns off his skull, to his black and red skin and even his menacing teeth. Park was cast for this role I think simply for his acrobatic abilities and these abilities shine through strongly. The fact that we truly never learn much about Darth Maul adds greatly to his character that we wish we could have learned more about him throughout the movie. The evil sneer he has really makes us feel how evil he is from the start when going against the Jedi. Of course, it would not have been a Star Wars movie if we did not get to see some of the staple Star Wars characters such as Yoda, R2-D2, C-3PO and even a couple of scenes showing Jabba the Hutt. the character of Yoda was precisely the same Yoda that we received in the original trilogy. I do not know if any movie will ever give us a character that speaks in such a unique way like Yoda does.

The story for Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was not nearly as strong as the stories within the original trilogy. The story part that is part of the main story arc for the Phantom Menace was really subtle in understanding the true reason behind why the Sith Lord is commanding the Trade Federation to invade Naboo. For me it really does not click with someone unless they have seen episodes IV, V and VI that you will understand the true meaning of this story arc. The biggest problem with the storytelling from Lucas is that there is no depth in that we are given plot points and we have to go on just the characters words. We know that the people of Naboo have been invaded and Queen Amidala talks of the injustices that are occurring to her people and everyone seems to understand yet the audience is never shown what is being done to the people of Naboo. Another example of this is that of Anakin being special because his Midichlorians are so high, yet we never get a glimpse into what would have made him more advanced then others. With Lucas the special effects are once again right on par with what is needed and expected with a Star Wars film. The special effects with the light sabers are perfect and it was awesome in The Phantom Menace to see a double edge light saber. The imagination for a weapon that was like a sword, but with futuristic technology is definitely an awesome weapon. The light saber is the weapon that I have always wanted to have since the first time I saw Star Wars. Along with the visual effects the action sequences are very fun and enjoyable to watch. The pod racing is really a great action sequence. With racing scenes a lot of times there is so much to capture that you have to move around cameras so much in such a way that you lose everything. Lucas is able to be so perfect with filming it that things do not get lost, but it is easy to comprehend the action that is taking place in the pod race. The light saber action that takes place in the fighting between Darth Maul versus Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan is perfect. The acrobatics that take place with Darth Maul are so finely choreographed within the action that it is seamless in what is going on. The double sided light saber helps to make the fighting even more intense and grasping simply because Darth Maul is able to duel with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan at the same time.

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace being the first in the Star Wars prequel trilogy does a fairly strong job. This was a movie that any Star Wars fan was excited to see and it ended up being one that most anyone found enjoyable. The character development in The Phantom Menace was very strong and I loved getting the start of the back story to the original Star Wars trilogy. The special effects and action sequences were exactly what is expected from George Lucas and the Star Wars franchise. The story was truly the biggest downfall for The Phantom Menace, simply because Lucas had us assuming or forcing a lot of the story points to help fit into the future story. I am giving Star Wars: The Phantom Menace three buckets of popcorn out of five. The Star Wars trilogies are now out on Blu-Ray, it is great to see the light sabers in such sharp imagery.

-The Movie Man

Office Space

Office Space is one of those movies that struggled initially at the box office. It was after being in theaters that it has gained a cult following in the years since its release, simply for one reason, everyone who has worked in cubicle's can relate to this movie and the vast array of characters that work at Initech. I have never met anyone that has seen Office Space, that the minute you mention the movie they can immediately either spout off their favorite quote from the movie or even their favorite scene. This is truly one of those movies that makes me wonder how it was even humanly possible for it to struggle as it did at the box office. Office Space is truly one of those great comedies that does not try to do too much, but instead it is simple in so may was that you can simply sit back relax as the jokes come that will make you laugh because they all flow seamlessly throughout the movie. After seeing Office Space it is truly no surprise to me as to one of the main reasons behind Office Space garnering this cult like movie status following is that of the character of Milton.

Ron Livingston stars as peter, a cubicle worker for Initech who really struggles most days with everything going on in his job and the complete lack of wanting to be at his job everyday. Only after a hypno-therapist dies in the middle of Peter being in a deep relaxation trance to help him handle the monotony of his job, does Peter find a relaxation and happiness in his life that had been missing. Livingston plays the role with such ease that he truly comes across as an everyday guy that the audience can relate to, because he ends up talking about his job in such a straightforward way in which many have felt about our own jobs from time to time. Livingston's interactions with everyone works so well together, especially his chemistry with Jennifer Aniston in her role of Joanna. Like Livingston, Aniston comes off in her role of the waitress as being just an average everyday person that is just doing what she has to in order to survive financially in today's world. The way she comes across in the role is that of being so simple that it is almost as if she is not even having to try to be an everyday person, and that is meant in the good way.

I love the supporting cast and they work so well together with everyone on screen. Gary Cole in the role of Bill Lumbergh the boss is one of those characters that is so easy to quote, because Cole plays the role with such a dryness that it is such a believable role for what many of our bosses can end up behaving just like. Milton played by Stephen Root is a role where he plays the character with such a social awkwardness and with these amazing set in stone quirky attributes. That while he could come across as annoying, instead he comes off as this funny character who in a way you root for in the end. The rest of the supporting cast were not only cast perfectly and fit in sow well together, but these characters are so perfectly thought out in that they all serve a purpose to what is going on throughout the story. There are times in other movies where you feel that characters have been added just to have another character and Office Space was able to avoid this pitfall.

The story for Office Space is one that does not throw much at the audience, but it is simply the simplicity that allows it to work so well. With a comedy movie it is always hard to strike that perfect balance of a story to keep the audience engaged and at the same time gives the right amount of comedic funniness without over saturating us with the comedy. Personally, I really enjoyed the story because it is not exactly an everyday I hate my job story one would expect. To go along with the story that comedy has to work and it does on so many points. Whether it is Milton's mumbling or Lumbergh's dull monotone voice each character has such a great real attribute to themselves that they could truly be someone you could come across in an office. I enjoyed the comedy they were able to pull out of everyday occurrences. One such example of this is that of the fax machine that never works so we end up getting a scene where we have gangster rap music playing while they put the fax machine through a beating from their kicking to even using a bat on it. One of my favorite lines that happens in the movie deals with Peter talking about flair that Joanna wears at Chotchkie's and how the Nazi's too had flair that they made the Jews wear.

Office Space is one of those cult movie comedy classics that no matter what kind of day you are having this movie has a strong ability to release those bad feeling and make them simply melt away. The casting was perfect in my mind, the normal guy feeling we get from Livingston is precisely what this character needed to have for the audience to like him. I am giving Office Space three and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. This movie is currently available through Netflix instant streaming or I do own an edited version if anyone so desires., but this is one that i would recommend highly if you are in the mood to have a relaxed night of watching a funny movie.

-The Movie Man

V For Vendetta

V For Vendetta is one of those movies that always intrigued me, but I never got around to seeing it until just recently. V For Vendetta is based off a graphic novel, the story is based in Britain in the near future as the people are controlled by fear from the government as a Supreme Chancellor limits everything the society can do and even uses the news to spin stories any way that benefits the agenda of the government and helps to keep the masses in line due to the fear that they can bring up. Yet, the government has to deal with a terrorist only known as V and his plans to create a change in the government on November 5th (Guy Fawkes Day) and because he only wears a Guy Fawkes mask the advances in technology do not the government the ability to use facial or retina scans to determine his real identity. Another movie about the way society can become a distopic one if we allow it plays a strong message to me.

Hugo Weaving in the role of V is not just a good one, but he gives an amazing performance. It is rare for a non-animated movie to have the stars performance to truly rely on solely his voice to exude all the necessary emotion, but this is exactly what Weaving must do. Being in a Guy Fawkes mask for the entire movie we never see his face so he cannot use his facial muscles to help convey meaning and emotions he is feeling. Weaving does a great job as I felt the intensity of his convictions come through in just his voice and the inflictions he produces that while he is out for revenge for what was done to someone he knew in a government controlled prison ans is killing those who were responsible the audience sees him as the protagonist and wants his plan to succeed even though the audience does not know exactly what his end game is, but has a sense that he wants a Revolution to happen on November the fifth. Natalie Portman in the role of Evey works well with Weaving onscreen. Portman gets pulled into the story after being saved by V. Being onscreen with V so much makes it not easy to interact and connect since she has no face with emotion to react to, yet she does a great job making her emotions and reactions coincide with the intensity that Weaving brought to his role. Also, I give any actress a lot of respect when a role requires her to shave her long hair completely.

The supporting cast all serve great purposes and give performances to match what Weaving and Portman bring to their roles. The role of the Chief Inspector Finch played by Stephen Rea is one that we are not sure if we should despise or root for as he is investigating into who the terrorist truly is. As he investigates we see what made V who he is and you want to actually root for the moral side of Finch to take control. As every part of the onion of his investigation peel off his eyes become more and more open to what the role the government is truly playing in keeping the society fearful. In complete contrast we have John Hurt in the role of Supreme Chancellor Sutler the audience instantly gravitates against him. As the Supreme Chancellor he has an air of untouchability as we are shown him through a video screen over and over again even in meetings with his heads of the different divisions. This only gives the control of the government an additional Big Brother feel to it. It is only when we see him in person that his power and untouchability is merely a facade and we end up seeing how weak he is when exposed. Hurt plays this strength and opposite weakness perfectly.

The story for V For Vendetta is not simply about a distopic society and one man's attempt to make changes to the society. As everything unfolds we learn that V's reasons far more then scratch the surface of revenge and in the end the recurring theme ends up being that while a man can be killed an idea cannot. It is for this reason that we end up getting a very minimal back story on V and even that it ends up being even more about the person who has give him the motivation for the idea. Also, for this reason that is why we never see V without the Guy Fawkes mask on because that is what keeps his revolution as an idea that no matter what it cannot die and because of this we do not get to truly see the human side of V. Being based off a graphic novel worked well for this movie, they used the feeling of a graphic novel throughout the movie especially in the color usage of how the film was shot. Most of the scenes throughout the movie has a dark and even hopeless fell to it, yet when in V's home it seemed to have more of a vibrancy to it.

V For Vendetta is a movie that will definitely have you thinking throughout the movie. I was astounded at how strong the performances were throughout the movie, especially Weaving's portrayal of V. The intricacies of the for the story worked so well and I greatly enjoyed trying to figure out the end game plan for V as well as everything else as it started to unfold.  I am giving V For Vendetta three buckets of popcorn out of five. This is a movie definitely worth watching if you happen to come across it on TV or on Netflix or even in a Redbox kiosk.

-The Movie Man

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games is one of those movies that when I heard the first rumors of Hollywood wanting to take the book series and make movie versions, I was excited and felt like the books would make for a fun and entertaining trilogy of movies. Once the rumors of the movie actually coming to fruition I wanted to make sure I saw The Hunger Games as soon as possible once it came out. For those who have not read the books, The Hunger Games takes place in the future where Panem (The old USA) as penance for their uprising against the Capitol every year the twelve districts are required to offer a male and female tribute to compete to the death, with only one victor. For seeing this movie I went for a completely new experience as we went for the D-Box seats, which while I enjoyed it, it was really fun to have a new motion of the seats added to the movie watching experience. While it did make the movie a little more intense and exciting it was not something that I will be dying to do for every action movie that comes out. It was well worth having the D-Box experience.

Jennifer Lawrence in the role of Katniss Everdeen not only works perfectly, but she is actually how I pictured Katniss while I was reading the books. Lawrence plays the role with the right amount of fear, terror of being in the games, nervousness and a defiant quiet strength at the same time. The success of this movie lies mostly on Lawrence since she is not only the main character, but the fact that there is really only one or two scenes in the movie where she is not in the scene, so if we do not like her portrayal of our heroine or if she can not act how Katniss needs to act then the movie will truly suffer. Lawrence is able to knock it out of the park and really makes the movie a success in my book. For me I think she make the role work so well because she does not over think or try too hard to make the emotions Katniss is going through come out, instead it comes off very naturally. Josh Hutcherson in the role of Peeta ended up working for me and I enjoyed his portrayal in the end. Even though it did take some additional time for me to warm-up to him in the role. Initially, I felt him to not be strong enough as I had pictured him, but as he showed his strength I cam to realize that had he been stronger from the onset we would not have cared about his character, as well as the other tributes would have viewed him as too much of a threat so it was vital that he did not appear too strong. By not appearing too strong it allowed him to protect Katniss in his own way within the game. The chemistry between Lawrence and was spot on from the beginning as they had a distinct awkwardness around each other as they were both dealing with being the tributes from district 12 and then as the Hunger Games moved on they worked well with one another and the star crossed lovers truly came across.

The supporting cast was cast perfectly as well. While there were a character here and there that did not meet the picture in my head, but I will admit that Donald Sutherland in the role of President Snow was the best they could do, but there is not an actor out there that could have come close to the way I pictured President Snow in my head. Woody Harrelson on the other hand as Haymitch  was one of only two actors that could take the role as the mentor that is virtually an alcoholic because of what he had to do  to survive his Hunger Games, and play the role on such an edge and with such an intensity and yet still be very likable to the audience While the image of Haymitch was not exactly as I had pictured him while reading the book, the mannerisms and attitude is spot on and Harrelson truly committed to the role and it really worked.  Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz and the tributes do great jobs to help support Lawrence and Hutcherson. Of the supporting cast though Stanley Tucci steals the show in the role of Caesar Flickerman. He is so successful because he does a great job committing to the role. Tucci is truly a chameleon of an actor as he s able to take any role and make it his own. Yet, with the role of Flickerman he is able to keep the character true to the book, but still have his own flair.

The story for The Hunger Games is magnificent as the writers were able to adapt the book into the movie flawlessly. The Hunger Games is one of the best movies based on a book because they have been able to stay so true to the book. While books changed into movies they have to obviously take parts from the book out because unfortunately it is impossible to get everything that is in a book into a movie without making a movie four hours long. The writers were able to successfully manage what to take out and what to leave in.  Also, when taking a book and making it into a movie it is tough to compete on film with the world our imagination is able to build while reading the book. I think the writers, set designers and costume designers did such a great job with not only being over the top especially with all of the costuming for the Capitol , but I think this is the closest to my own vision a movie has come to how I pictured a world of a book to come to being.

I always find dystopic books to be interesting to read (I have to thank my wife because she got me into the dystopic books), it was really interesting to see one of these dystopic books turned into a movie. The aspect of The Hunger Games that was fairly intriguing to me was the fact of seeing kids being forced into a gladiator style battle to the death was a little disturbing, but to me the more disturbing aspect is how the game makers do not always make it fair and could control the aspects of the arena to force a death if it has been too long and they need to keep the citizens of the Capitol entertained. I think dystopic books and these dystopic movies also serve as a warning to us to make sure we as a society never let the government take complete control. The action worked so well throughout the movie and it really helped with the pacing. The movie is 142 minutes long, but because they paced the story so well I did not find myself getting bored and wondering when the movie would get moving. The writers did a great job at making every scene that was in the movie to serve a purpose and so it did not feel like it was dragging or that it was rushing to keep the audience entertained.

The Hunger Games is a great dystopic book that is now a great dystopic movie. The performances by Lawrence and the rest of the cast worked together so well. The Hunger games is one of the best book to movies I have seen. I was completely surprised at the ability they had to bring this world of the future to being so close onscreen to what my imagination had painted while reading the book. I am giving The Hunger Games three and three fourth buckets of popcorn out of five. The Hunger Games is well worth the price of a ticket to see at the movie theater that way you can experience it on the big screen with an amazing sound system surrounding you. I am sure this is one that will end up in the movie collection when it comes to blu-ray.

-The Movie Man