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Short movie reviews by Adriana Popovici

The Hunger Games

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Image source: Wikimedia

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Year of release: 2012
Director: Gary Ross
Writers: Garry Ross, Billy Ray (screenplay); Suzanne Collins (novel & screenplay)
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Stanley Tucci, Elizabeth Banks, Donald Sutherland, etc.

For more information on “The Hunger Games”, visit Wikipedia and/or IMDb

 

General impression:
Technically, from Jennifer Lawrence’s acting talent to Lenny Kravitz ‘s gold eyeliner, this movie is OK. The weird part is the substance of this story, a story which targets young adults as its primary audience. It has the potential to inspire, and, as it was proven, to become widely liked, but… it is a dystopia after all. The main characters are not motivated by much else than the instinct of survival, fear and rage. They are sacrificed by a society of poor powerless victims at the disposal of their rich suppressors. Teenagers fighting to the death as part of a yearly punitive event that entertains rich and poor alike… Is franchises of gloom what young people today deserve/need? What about more positive visions, do they get enough of those?

Highlights:
It holds your attention.

Downside:
The object of the attention is not always worth it.

Would I see it again? – Not very soon. I’d rather see the sequel(s)… just because.

My Rating (1 to 10): 8

Recommended: Yes, why not 🙂

Suggestion:
I saw this idea on Twitter and I agree: instead of buying books like “The Hunger Games”, you’d better feed a hungry child – not as a type of boycott, but as a contribution to a better future, so that our world doesn’t become too… dystopian.

 

One Day

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Year of release: 2011
Director: Lone Scherfig
Writer: David Nicholls (book & screenplay)
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Patricia Clarkson, etc.

For more information on “One Day”, visit Wikipedia and/or IMDb

 

General impression:
I wavered over rating this movie “-” or “+/-“. I went for “+/-” because it has its share of… niceness. I think it doesn’t make the most of the book. The truly romantic element of this movie is the “snapshot” way the story is told. Two people, the same date, different years. Unfortunately, the characters are not very likable; especially the guy. Why she falls for him is almost beyond reason (and I don’t mean it in a good romantic way). He must have been great all year long, but took his yearly “one day” off from being all that great on July 15. The characters are not even interesting enough to make one curious about their life and feelings. The only thing that keeps the story going is its structure. Both Hathaway and Sturgess have better flicks in their filmography.

Highlights:
The idea and the structure of the story.

Downside:
The fact that not even Anne Hathaway (an actress I like) could make me feel entertained and less bored by this movie.

Would I see it again? – No

My Rating (1 to 10): 6

Recommended: Not really

Suggestion:
If you’d like to watch a similar(-ly romantic) movie starring Anne Hathaway, choose “Love and other Drugs“, which is (just) slightly better (in my opinion).

 

The Duchess

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Image source: Wikimedia

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Year of release: 2008
Director: Saul Dibb
Writers: Jeffrey Hatcher, Anders Thomas Jensen, Saul Dibb (screenplay), Amanda Foreman (book)
Starring: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, etc.

For more information on “The Duchess”, visit Wikipedia and/or IMDb

 

General impression:
In terms of filmmaking, “The Duchess” is bland and weak. Not a lot of emotion, little food for thought (if any); it simply tells a story, and that story is the only interesting part of this movie. To be honest, you don’t need to watch the movie to find out the story. You can read it, even on Wikipedia – with links, portraits, and all kinds of details, such as the fact that “Earl Grey” tea was named after Georgiana Cavendish’s (the duchess this movie is about) lover.

Highlights:
There is nothing truly outstanding about this movie.

Downside:
The fact above: nothing outstanding.

Would I see it again? – No

My Rating (1 to 10): 6.5

Recommended: It’s not a complete waste of time, but it’s definitely not a must-see either.

Suggestion:
Check out the real (story of) Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire.

 

The Adjustment Bureau

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Year of release: 2011
Director: George Nolfi
Writers: George Nolfi (screenplay), Philip K. Dick (short story “Adjustment Team”)
Starring: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, etc.

For more information on “The Adjustment Bureau”, visit Wikipedia and/or IMDb

 

General impression:
Lukewarm. Not bad, not extraordinary, not memorable. I like Emily Blunt, and probably she’s the reason I watched this movie until the end, although, to be perfectly honest, I was pinning on Pinterest at the same time. This movie was not catchy enough for me, and, although the story is romantic, it’s rather romance for the mind – cool and keeps its distance. The concept is not bad, nor is the execution… but that’s not enough for this movie to cross the line between fine and great.

Highlights:
The ideas underlying the movie have a nice dose of freshness.

Downside:
Not enough feeling for a movie that needed it.

Would I see it again? – Umm… no

My Rating (1 to 10): 7

Recommended: Umm… yeah…

Suggestion:
This is a good choice if, meanwhile, you’re baking – you can pause it, resume, pause again. Most likely, your pie won’t get burnt.

 

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

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Image source: Wikimedia

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Year of release: 2010
Director: Mike Newell
Writers: Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro, Carlo Bernard (screenplay), Jordan Mechner (story)
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, etc.

For more information on “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time”, visit Wikipedia and/or IMDb

 

General impression:
For a movie based on a video game, it’s pretty decent. Silly, but entertaining with some nice visuals. The funny thing is that there are pretentious movies inferior to this Disney product. It’s not brilliant or profound, only a regular commercial movie respecting the industry’s standards, complete with absurdities like the gratuitous transformation of the female protagonist – Gemma Arterton is (more or less) unrecognizable… just because. Of course, the script is not the strong point of this flick. It’s not the first time I notice that, sometimes, when a script is written by three or more people, it is mediocre (at best). But, hey, who says that all scripts must provide more than paychecks for their writers 😉

Highlights:
It’s an excuse for eating popcorn! 😀

Downside:
Don’t worry about that, just have your popcorn 🙂

Would I see it again? – No

My Rating (1 to 10): 6.5

Recommended: Once, for entertainment, why not?

Suggestion:
If it bores you, you can safely stop watching it.

 

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