Hunger Games

The Hunger Games is based off the popular teen fiction series written by Suzanne Collins. Katniss Everdeen is a 16 year old girl who lives in a world split into 12 districts that are controlled by The Capitol. Many years ago the districts rebelled against The Capitol, and as punishment The Capitol forces the 12 districts to participate in an event known as the Hunger Games. Each district must choose one male and one female tribute between the ages of 12-18 to send to the Games where the tributes must fight to the death. During the selection process known as The Reaping, Katniss's sister is called as a tribute, and Katniss volunteers in her place. Peeta Mellark is chosen as the male tribute to fight alongside Katniss. What follows is a fight for survival that neither of them are entirely prepared for.

For an adaptation of a popular book series, I have to admit The Hunger Games is one of the best and most faithful adaptations I have seen in a long time. Director Gary Ross did a great job of keeping most of the important details from the story into the movie. There were a few minor details I wish he would have expanded on, but if he had put those details in the movie it might have made it too long. One thing I'm not exactly happy with, but I understand why Gary Ross did it this way is the cinematography during the fight scenes. He filmed these scenes in a shaky, blurry way so that you can't clearly see the carnage that is happening on screen. It drives my eyes crazy to see that kind of cinematography, but Gary Ross said he didn't want to make the violence itself the focus of the movie. Instead he wanted the disgust and horror of Katniss and Peeta towards the Games as the focus.

One argument I have heard brought up is that someone thought The Hunger Games should have been rated R. I have to be honest, I completely disagree. If you make The Hunger Games rated R then two things happen: 1) you just lost your teen fanbase that the books are geared towards; and 2) if you make it R then you do the exact opposite of what the primary message of the movie and books is. The Hunger Games is a critique on the fact that our generation has turned violence into something that is entertaining. We have become numb to the horror of seeing blood and gore spilling out onscreen. We have gotten to the point where we watch a movie such as the Friday the 13th series and instead of cringing at the sight of Jason X stalking his prey, we sometimes bust out laughing. I do think The Hunger Games would have benefitted from pushing the PG-13 limit, making it dark and violent, but not graphic. If Gary Ross had followed in, say, the Lord of the Rings footsteps or The Dark Knight then I think The Hunger Games would have been even better.

While I greatly enjoyed The Hunger Games and recommend people go see it, I have to issue a warning to parents of young kids: This is by no means a kids movie. The story is about teenagers killing each other and the rest of the population turning this bloodbath into entertainment. Suzanne Collins wrote the series as a critique on our generation's love of movies such as Gladiator, 300, and other war movies that have excessive amounts of blood and gore. Our generation has become subjected to this type of entertainment so much that we have become numb to it. The books themselves are superbly done, and the movie is also well-done, but they are both meant to bring to our attention the horrors of violence. If you think your child is old enough and mature enough to understand how horrible the situation in the story is, then I'd say use you're own judgement whether to allow your child to see The Hunger Games. However, personally I would 100% listen to the fact that it's PG-13. No child under the age of 13 should see The Hunger Games.

War Horse

It's 1914 and the world is being catapulted into chaos as World War I breaks out. In England a young man named Albert lives with his parents trying to scrape a living so they can continue to pay the rent and not be thrown out onto the streets. The war hasn't reached England yet, but everyone can feel the tension as it draws nearer. As a last ditch effort to keep their farm, Albert and his father go to the local market to buy a sturdy plow horse for the fields. When they get there, Albert's father gets drunk and also into a bidding war with a rival farmer, but not for a plow horse. Instead they bid on a beautiful stallion, one not built for plowing. Albert's father wins the horse in the end and must figure out a way to make the stallion work in the fields. Albert makes a promise to his father that he will train the horse and get the fields planted in time so they won't lose their house. Unfortunately the war soon catches up to England, and Albert must give up his beloved horse to the English army.

"Battles are ugly affairs" - Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

That line was said by Father Christmas when he met the Pevensie children in the film adaptation of the beloved children's series, but it could have easily been used in War Horse. What's interesting about War Horse is it is not only a story about a horse and his master, but it is ultimately a criticism on the effects of war. It is also told from the perspective of  the horse (who Albert has named Joey). Joey is taken from Albert to be used on the frontlines of World War I. The audience watches as Joey travels across Europe and experiences firsthand the pain and agony of war. War Horse is a well acted, fantastically well-made film reminiscent of films such as Black Beauty, Where the Red Fern Grows, and Old Yeller. It is a little slow in the beginning but once it gets past the first 15-20 minutes then it begins to pick up speed and gets much better from there. Jeremy Irvine, who plays Albert, gives a fantastic performance as the wide-eyed teenager that falls for Joey. If you have not had the chance to check out War Horse, I strongly encourage you to.