The Hunger Games

It's like The Truman Show meets Surviving the Game and they have a baby, and those babies must eliminate each other in front of a live audience a la The Running Man. This film has everything and I do mean everything. Action, romance, Intense moments, kids killing kids for sport, and engineered elements. I hope to not SPOILER anything, but I am assuming everyone has read the book or at least paid 10% of their attention to one percent of all the TV and Magazine ads that have littered our line of sight for the past 9 months. If so, you know the  basic premise behind The Hunger Games.  I did not read the books. Many of you know it is due to the fact that I can't won't read. I also feel that makes me the largest hypocrite known to man. I Love Love Love to write and expect people to read my words and enjoy them for the entertainment they are here to supply, however, if you were to ask me read anything longer than a magazine article I may very well de-friend you. The world Suzanne Collins created is very similar to the many world's of Tim Burton. The colors, the outfits, the strangeness. It is all so beautifully creepy, and Director Gary Ross should be extremely proud of himself. He gave us a movie with such a content that it is quite appalling, yet he did it in such a classy way. I commend him. His direction overall is superb. The story and the acting on the other hand is indescribable. Let me take a minute to describe it. Imagine the raw emotion when faced with the task of kill or be killed, but you are only 12-18 years old. That's tough, but The Hunger Games stand for so much to the world. Each district must choose one male and one female to represent the district. 12 in all = 24 participants and the last one standing will be wealthy the rest of their life with The Fame and Glory that accompany the title of Hunger Games Champion. My biggest issue of the rules is, if the other person from your district, who you probably know, are the last ones left, you would have to kill that person. That's a bit rough. At 2 hours 22 minutes, it seemed short to me. It flowed very well, and you may think that 23 deaths on that short amount of time would be hard to pull off, just wait till the opening "mad dash" if you will. Our hero is Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and she is the next Bella Swan if you catch my drift. The Hunger Games is a trilogy and it made 155 million this weekend alone. Lucky for us, she can display a range of emotion, and be very warm one minute, and very jaded the next. I expect she portrayed 19 emotions in this film which is a full 18 more than Kristen Stewart can at any given moment. Katniss has a very unique skill set, but she doesn't know how to play the game. Haymitch is there to help her learn the rules and strategies and he is played brilliantly by the always appreciated Woody Harrelson. Essentially that is all it is. A Game. Much like TV's Survivor, the audience will have favorites and least favorites, and this can play heavily in one's favor. It is an intense ride that I didn't want to end. I wanted it to go right into books 2 and 3. This is one of the best films I have ever seen, and I have seen a great many. I think it rightly deserves every last iota of praise it receives and am giddily anticipating the next film which is due November 2013. Anyone who can handle 12 year olds playing real life Gladiator, then don't miss this film.
**On a side note, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the 65 year old woman leaving the theater explaining the entire film to her husband as if he wasn't beside her the whole time which he was. I didn't feel it was hard to follow, but I may just be a CINE-SAVANT.
NBM rates The Hunger Games - A Work of Cinematic Art, and that was not even a question when it got over.

Alien Autopsy

When a trusted movie lover recommended a film I had never heard of, I was intrigued. So much so, It sat on my dresser for 3 weeks. Wah Wah. Then the glorious day came where I decided to start it, only to be left with the conclusion that I must own a copy to pass on to everyone I know who loves to be entertained. Alien Autopsy is based on the true story of what may have been one of the most elaborate hoaxes the world has ever known...or was it? This film is part documentary, part comedy, completely absurd, but because it is primarily a British film, you know the absurdity is going to be very well received. It follows two men on the accidental discovery of a lifetime. Ray Santilli is a street smart video pirating salesman in 1995, when his business comes to an abrupt end. His best mate, some may say frenemy, is Gary. Gary is a legal aid who is all about work and responsibility. These two don't see eye to eye ever, but Gary always goes along. When Ray's idea of flying to Cleveland, Ohio to buy Elvis memorabilia is his newest get rich quick scheme, Gary is very skeptical. Then Ray is offered the biggest golden goose egg he has ever seen. Literally, it is a film. A documented alien autopsy film from 1947 Roswell. He is shown the film one time then drops 30 grand on it. 30 grand he got from a shady investor who likes to kill people who disappoint him. This is where is gets awesome and funny. After watching only the one time, no one believes his story of what he watched. He then has a small viewing party who are ultimately disappointed when the film he watched has been eating itself through an oxidation of sorts. Now Ray is in a pickle. He now has to come up with a solution to save everyone's, mostly his, life. He has seen the footage and remembers it vividly, so the brightest idea in the room is to recreate it. Bill Pullman plays the documentarian taking in their story 10 years after the fact, and the story telling is so brilliant. Flashbacks to present day and so on. It's all done so well and this little indie flick made quite an impression on me, and it is hilarious. Harry Dean Stanton only has a couple of scenes but he is awesome as he always is. I can't wait to loan this out to whoever wants it, to see their reaction as well. Will Ray be able to pass off his reproduction to the general public? This is the million dollar question and the answer is well worth the wait. 
NBM rates Alien Autopsy - Phenomenal

21 Jump Street

I was more skeptical about this film than any other in recent memory. To re-boot a TV show into a comedy/action film starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill was just the tip of the iceberg for me. Then the first trailer came out and I was left almost horrified. Then another trailer and my demeanor started a long u-turn, that with enough read articles and watched TV spots, along with the totally unexpected R rating, it landed my butt in the theater on opening day. It also didn't hurt how well this film is being reviewed. This is the type of film critics love to hate, yet they just love it. I can almost guarantee all critics had a single turning point during the film, much like my journey. It would be when Parks and Rec's Ron Swanson uses his 3 minutes of screen time to deliver a great speech about rehashing ideas due to the impoverished think tank of today's generation. Up until that point every second of the film I had just watched, I and you, had already seen in every trailer. I'm not saying that is a bad thing. Actually it was quite refreshing and this is why. In the first 15 minutes basically witness all the trailer footage, so anything after that is just icing on the cake. I was excited about seeing a film where they don't give away all the good parts in 2.5 minute TV spots. It also helped with the flow. Being a buddy cop comedy, we didn't need to spend a lot of time watching these goofs train and build a relationship up from nothing. It is the classic tale of two guys who bring way different attributes to the table to form a supercop...sort of. When Jenko (Tatum) and Schmidt (Hill) are out in the undercover program called "Jump Street", they had no idea what they were in for. They get to go back to high school to uncover a drug ring. The story line is very strong and the jokes are equally strong. Plus the writing is brilliant. Here we have a guy who was awesome at High School, and another guy, well, not so much. What a difference 7 years can make.Much like Bill Madison, High School is not what it used to be and this vexes our heroes. One is all for the changes and the other is just confused about everything. We do get to see Holly Robinson Peete pretty early on, and though I am not versed with the TV show, It was pretty easy to detect the other cameos. The dialog just sarcastically suggested these "characters" had been here before. Now, I know the big question is, was Johnny Depp in it? That I cannot divulge. Not because I don't want to spoil the fun for any of you, but because I have no Earthly clue who the Hell that is. This film is cliche to the 10th degree, but that does not matter at all. The directors, in my opinion, must be HUGE Edgar Wright fans. He did Shaun of the Dead and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. They put together a great film with good visuals and some out of the ordinary visual effects that played a lot like a video game. HMMMM? Now, these buffoons must infiltrate some drug dealers and find the supplier before this new drug gets beyond the high school walls. It turns into a harsh lesson of everyone involved taking a step back and seeing themselves for how they are or were in their lives. Like I said, Cliche. I would definitely watch this again, and if a Blu Ray with loads of extras and alternate ending and what not comes out, I may just buy it. It is already set up for a sequel, which sight unseen, I would watch. And one last thing, this film further solidifies my current man crush on Tatum. he is a funny guy who can also be dramatic and pack the action. 2012 is the year of Channing. I have only seen 5 movies in the theater this year and he has been in 3 of them. Now, on to GI JOE.
NBM rates 21 Jump Street - A Very Strong Phenomenal

the BIG news!!!!!

I hate 3D, but I will jump at the chance to watch this in the theater again. YAAAAAAAAA

the BIG news here 

The Matrix

This film changed everything, and it came out 13 years ago. It will be forever used as comparison for any film that may come out. Whether it's story, special effects, originality, or what have you. Neo lives in The Matrix. A computer program that you feel is the real world. It's a complicated story that must be watched several times to really get it. The first time you watch it, you may miss things because you will be awestruck. He has been plucked by Morpheus and his band of freedom fighters to help with the cause. The cause being to take their world back from the machines. Yes, you may be thinking Skynet right now, and that is not far off. What the Wachowski Brothers give us with The Matrix though is much, much more in depth than that. The world they created is amazing. Plus they revolutionized special effects using several hundred cameras in a single shot to slow down time in the most realistic fashion to date. 1999's date, not today's date. Every film owes a debt to The Matrix. It broke a new ground in film making that is kind of a catch 22, if you will. It gave us the realm of really good digital effects, which in turn gave movie makers an easy way to make movies 100% that way, which takes away from a lot of films. The number one turn off for me is bad CG. We live in a CG Era now, but with the first Matrix, it is the perfect blend of stunt work, wires, slow motion capture, and CG. The Wachowski's should not have done 2 things following this film. 1- They should have considered not making the sequels; and 2- With the sequels they should have recreated the magic combination from the first film. They too relies 100% on digital effects and at times it looked like a video game, because essentially that what they made. This film also has some of the greatest action scenes in the history of film. The Hotel Lobby is the quintessential scene to watch when Surround Sound shopping. Take the Lobby scene and watch through the Morpheus escape with all the rounds falling from the chopper and you will know which sound system to buy. I must have seen this film 50 times, and when propositioned to watch the other day, it was a no brainer. Still as good as it was the first time. I'm sure the majority of you have seen this, as it is somewhat aged, but if you have not, do yourself a favor and go buy a copy of it today.


NBM rates The Matrix - A Cinematic Work of Art

127 Hours

How could someone make a film about a guy being pinned by a boulder in a canyon? I could understand if we see this guy live his life, and then near the end he gets trapped, but the fact that he is trapped before the opening credits made me wonder where the next 90 minutes would lead. Much like Buried, 127 hours takes place mostly in one place, and with a few delusions and flashbacks, it's all about one man's psyche and how he will endure with no food, little water, and no possibility of being rescued. Oh yeah, and it's a true story. I wonder if this was fiction and we didn't know Aron Ralston (James Franco) if anyone would have enjoyed it. It is such a great story of survival and Franco deserved his Oscar Nomination for his portrayal. There isn't  much to be said about this, but I will say this. Of all of his Video he shot while stuck, I truly wish it does exist. Some pretty trippy stuff. I'm sure most of it was just Hollywoodized dialog for a longer run time, but if Aron was really going insane, I think that is interesting. He really used the 5.3 days he was stuck to reflect on the life he had lived. The people he had failed. And what he would do if he didn't die. What an intense film. And SPOILER ALERT: the self amputation is pretty awesome or gruesome, depending on how you feel about self amputation. I don't know how I can even justify my next sentence so I won't. The Direction is BRILLIANT. How do you direct a movie in a space of 6 cubic feet with no scenery change? I don't know, but this director did, and if I ever write a film about a contortionist who gets stuck in his/her tiny clear cube for at least an hour, I will call him.


NBM rates 127 Hours - Phenomenal

In Time

I was anxiously awaiting this when it hit theaters, but missed it. Wah Wah. Finally got to see it, and my only regret was how exhausted I was when I decided to delve into a whole new world, a new fantastic point of view. I made it through in one sitting, but wish I could have been amped up a little more, because even as tired as I may have been, it was still awesome. I was a little leery about it due to all the "I liked it, but..." coming from anyone I knew who saw it. The one that stuck with me was, "The film was not long enough to get into this created world to the fullest." I DO NOT agree with this. Yes, at less than 2 hours we have to absorb all the rules of this world that has been given to us, but the flow and attention to detail was great. Then we have the acting. These people are professional for a reason. We must believe them when they believe they will die when their time is up. Literally. The clock on the arm counts down and if it hits zero, you die. It is a fantastic world where the currency for living is your time line. 4 minutes for coffee, an hour for a bus ride and so on. Each human's clock starts when they turn 25 and is set for 1 year. The catch is from this point on, you will never age, so a world full of attractive people may die at the age of 50, but they still look as they did when they turned 25. They can earn time for goods and services such as we earn greenbacks, or clams, or bones, or whatever you call them. When ghetto dweller, Will Salas (Timberlake) is given a present of an enormous amount of time, he becomes public enemy number one and then we really get into this world and how there are still classes of people. Rich, poor, middle and its all based on time. Like I said earlier, The Details is what you will enjoy. Things you would never think about since we have never been in this situation. When Will gets desperate and takes extreme measures the heat turns up on him, but he doesn't care. He wants to change the world for the better, but will the Time Keepers (cops) get to him before he can do that? It is a very in depth film that does a nice job not leaving any questions after it's hour and forty five minutes are done. I will recommend you all watch this if you like the trailer. It is a new twist on society that I liked very much.
NBM rates In Time - Phenomenal

And The Oscar goes to...

2012

Best Actor 

Jean Dujardin (The Artist)

Best Actress 

Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)

Supporting Actor 

Christopher Plummer (Beginners)

Supporting Actress

Octavia Spencer (The Help)

Best Director

Michel Hazanvicius (The Artist)

Best Picture 

The Artist

Twilight Saga : Breaking Dawn Part 1

I did not rush out to the theater to see this 4th installment that has only one more film to complete the saga. It just didn't look that appealing to me compared to the previous 3. I will say the only one I saw in the theater was New Moon and it was everything I thought it could be. I boo'd, I cried, and I was surprised at the ending of New Moon. Talk about a cliffhanger. This one didn't give me any of those emotions. I felt flat the whole time I was watching it. It wasn't bad, it just was underwhelming. I mean, I am easy overwhelmed, but hardly underwhelmed, and I don't recall anything that has just made me feel whelmed. To the future. As for Edward and Bella, they finally get married...YAY. Now Bella can finally give Eddie her virginity and they can live for the rest of their lives, aka ETERNITY, in misery. I will say that I was excited for this one to come out before I saw any of the trailers. From what I hear, the 4th book is a bit off the chain. They (The readers of books) tell me Stephanie Meyer sort of threw all sense out the window and wrote whatever she wanted, and though it wrapped the series, it didn't necessarily fit with the other 3. That is what had me antsy for it. Unfortunately it seemed right in line with the tween reputation it earned for itself. Breaking Dawn has way less action and way more pregnancy. Oops..I should typed "Spoiler" before that last sentence. So we are to believe Bella conceives on the honeymoon, when in fact there is no way that can be accurate. The baby is way too big for a 1 day old in the womb. I think she lost her virginity before the vows were said, she still wore white (Liar), and they "HAD" to get married. Just my opinion. Either way, Bella is still Human and Ed thought he was sterile. Now she is carrying a Vamphetus. She cannot survive this pregnancy and the majority of the film shows her in labor pains, or something of that nature. I guess I just didn't care about them jet setting around the globe for an hour of the film. The wolves, which are the best, are almost absent entirely, but don't worry, we do get to see Jacob pout in every scene he is in. I don't know what I wanted out of this film. All I know is Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse all left me very satisfied. Even to the point that I do not mind watching them when they are on, even if my wife is not around. This one, however, I don't see myself watching anytime in the near or distant future. I will also say this, what Part 1 is leading into should be very good and when I see part 2 maybe my opinion of the flow of story in Part 1 may be realized. I hope Part 2 really overwhelms me and retires the series on a great positive note . I'd like to see The Volturi come in and destroy some stuff too. They are cool and mean.


NBM rates Twilight Saga : Breaking Dawn Part 1 - Great
**Here are my reviews for the other 3 films**
Twilight
New Moon
Eclipse

The Guard

Every once in a while we are blessed with a film from across the pond that enhances our life. Usually once per year a film really grabs the attention of the Americans and the most recent offering is the smash Action/Comedy/Drama, The Guard. The Guard is referring to one man really. His name is Gerry Boyle (Brendan Gleeson) and he is anything but orthodox when it comes to his job. I will call him a police officer, though I am not sure if this term is the correct where he lives in rural Ireland. The film gets right into it inside of the first 30 seconds. This is where we learn all we need to know about Gerry's mentality about his job and how he sees things. This film is an obvious UK film. Kind of dry witted, great jokes that may go unnoticed, or even not understood. Not like they are so brilliant we don't "get" it, but literally, we can't understand what the Feck they just said due to thick accents and dialect of the region. I got to hear Gaelic for the first time also. Apparently so does Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle). Cheadle is most unexpected in the film as he is the only American actor present. He plays an FBI agent hot on the trail of drug smugglers transporting 500 million dollars worth of illegal narcotics. That's Half a Billion. When Agent Everett shows up in the small Irish town, he is insulted almost immediately by our anti hero, Gerry. Gerry never holds his tongue no matter how crass he is being, he doesn't much care. If it's his day off, don't bother him, and if you don't want the truth wrapped up in an extremely sarcastic, smart ass fashion, then don't ask him a question. He is old school. He does what he wants and throughout the film we get the feeling he is a dirty cop, but we are never sure. He doesn't seem to respect the badge or any of his co-workers for that matter, but he is a brilliant detective. Everett ropes him into helping him, though he feels Everett doesn't listen to half of what he says. Once the gangsta drug dealers get involved the film amps up a bit, and it is definitely a film that needs to be viewed at least 3 times to catch all the cheeky dialog. Whether its the dialect or the fact it is hard hear over your own laughter, it is definitely worth every one's time.

NBM rates The Guard - Phenomenal