The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1. It’s ~40 minutes of almost-revolution and ~80 minutes where we watch them shoot commercials. yawn I think there actually is an interesting movie to be made (already made?) about the internal/self-directed marketing for revolutionary movements, but it’s not this one. The first movie is the best. The second one has its moments. The trend is not good. Fingers crossed for a good finale.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. I like the world they created, but felt like this one kind of ran out of steam. I take it as a good sign, though, that the games were the least interesting part.
American Hustle. Disappointed with the ending, but that’s heist movies for ya. I should note that most of my disappointment was because most of the movie has such an enjoyable, playful ambiguity to it. You spend so much time on your toes, wondering what these folks are really up to, because there’s no real obvious villain or goal, and then it all wraps up too neatly for my taste. But Amy Adams is so good, the sets and stuff are a trip, and there’s some fun visual gags in there. I’d also recommend David O. Russell’s Three Kings, which has a lot of the same energy and restlessness.
Fame is high-risk and fundamentally incompatible with artlessness.
This is so good. By Masha Tupitsyn.
The Acting Personality: Just How “Authentic” Is Jennifer Lawrence? | Press Play
Winter’s Bone. Such a damn good movie. Every bit as good as the first time. It has the perfect balance between feeding you information and leaving you in the dark. Who knows what to do next? And I love the little moments of life in the Ozarks: splitting firewood, hunting, neighbors looking after each other, cooking. Between this and Martha Marcy May Marlene, I’ve got to find some more stuff with John Hawkes.
The Hunger Games. Well, it’s got plenty of flaws (script, directing, plot, length), but it’s entertainment. Good enough to kill my interest in the books. More than anything, it makes me want to watch Winter’s Bone again. Jennifer Lawrence is the real deal.
Winter’s Bone. This is fantastic. I got totally sucked in. Probably the best I’ve seen this year. Go watch it now if you’re an idiot like me who didn’t get around to it in 2010.
Mark Larson 