Movie Review: Catching Fire

Catching Fire
Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark become targets of the Capitol after their victory in the 74th Hunger Games sparks a rebellion in the Districts of Panem.


Actor Impression:
    As always, Jennifer Lawrence is flawless in her return to the screen, this time reprising her role as Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games. Her performance was more emotional and intense than the last movie required from her character, and the viewer was definitely pulled in by the character's emotional turmoil throughout the film.
     Josh Hutcherson definitely upped his game in this film, as well, but I think the character/actor that stole the film was Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket. I've read the book, of course, but I didn't remember Effie being so involved in this one as much as she had been in the last one, but she quickly became my favorite character in this movie. She was more vocal and funnier, and Banks brought heart and character into the "tribute handler" in the most unusual and funny ways.
     I think all of the women in the theater were happy to see more of Liam Hemsworth, but his character and development in Gale were less than what we could have expected next to Katniss, Peeta, and even Haymitch (Woody Harrelson).
     Notable performances definitely need to go out to Philip Seymour Hoffman as Pultarch Heavensbee, Sam Clafin as Finnick Odair, and Jenna Malone as Joanna Mason.

Plot Impression:
    Once again, I'm impressed with how much the screenplay was able to stay faithful to (at least what I remember of) the original book. I only noticed one thing that was left out, and it really wasn't all that important (not that it would have been very hard to slip in, either.) Although I was a little disappointed that we didn't get the scene between Katniss and Peeta, as they watched all of the other tribute's Hunger Games victory tapes, and see Haymitch's win. I think that would have been an interesting scene, and really changed the way the audience looked at Haymitch and his "gruffness."

Overall Impression:
     This was a fantastic film, expertly costumed, written, and edited, and I loved how faithful it remained to the book. I think it is more than worth the movie stub price, and while I'm not a big fan of HUGE cliffhangers, there was really no way of getting around it in this book ["There is no District 12..."]

The Blonde Rating: 4.5/5 *****
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Hypable Rating: A- 

Now the real question for Mockingjay is...how the hell are they going to make that two movies? Or follow up THIS act? That will really be impressive.

That's all for now!
Happy Holidays!
The Blonde

Movie Review: Identity Thief

Identity Thief

"Honesty is as Blonde does..."

Starring: Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy

Synopsis: Unlimited funds have allowed Diana to live it up on the outskirts of Miami, where the queen of retail buys whatever strikes her fancy. There's only one glitch: The ID she's using to finance these sprees reads "Sandy Bigelow Patterson" and it belongs to an accounts rep who lives halfway across the U.S. With only one week to hunt down the con artist before his world implodes, the real Sandy Bigelow Patterson heads south to confront the woman with an all-access pass to his life. And as he attempts to bribe, coax and wrangle her the 2,000 miles to Denver, one easy target will discover just how tough it is to get your name back.

Actors Impression:
     I have been a Melissa McCarthy fan since her days on the TV show Gilmore Girls, so I'm not surprised with her enormous spike in popularity. She gives 100 percent to her character, and Identity Thief is no different. The character of Diana is a first for McCarthy, as a selfish yet lonely con artist filling her life with stuff instead of meaningful relationships and hard work. Her comedic timing and physical delivery was top-notch, playing well off her co-star, Bateman, and the other sub-characters in the film. 
     Jason Bateman has been a favored actor of mine since Dodgeball, and this new film didn't disappoint. Although, poor Bateman took way too many punches to the throat in this movie, I think, and was maybe a little too uptight after McCarthy's character (I think) proved her loyalty.

Plot Impression:
     I thought this movie was fun and original. The timeline of a week kept the story from getting too out of hand or off-track, and the different obstacles Bateman and McCarthy faced seemed "realistic" in terms of the type of film.
     I think the storylines of the bounty-hunter (WHY DIDN'T HE HAVE A NAME?) and the two other characters that were after Diana needed more explaining. I got that the guy and the chick were working for some guy that Diana sold stolen stuff to, but why was it so important to chase her across the country? And how did the bounty hunter survive a car accident, at least two days in the hot sun in a hot van, a shot to the face, and another car? Also, how did he get to 
     

Overall Impression:
     Overall, I think this was a funny film, but not one to stand up to the test of time. I loved the physical comedy, but I think it was taken too far with so many sexual/physical jokes. Honestly, we did NOT need that much of cowboy-Eric Stonestreet. 


The Blonde's Rating: 2.5/5 -rent it

That's all for now,
The Blonde

Movie Review: Side Effects

Side Effects:

Starring: Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Channing Tatum

Synopsis: A young woman's world unravels when a drug prescribed by her psychiatrist has unexpected side effects.

Actors Impression:
     I was disappointed with the lack of Channing Tatum's hotness in this film, but when he was on screen, his performance was starkly different from his past performances which, in my book, is good. He's never played this kind of character before, so he can't remind me of anything I've seen before. That aside, Tatum's presence in this film was lack-luster and forgettable. Basically, his character was there to be a catalyst to get the real conflict in the movie going, and it probably could have been replaced by anyone.
    Jude Law was marvelous in this film. His character transformed with the circumstances in this movie, and I was completely enveloped in his development.
    Catherine Zeta-Jones is an excellent actress, however right from the start of the movie, I felt like her character was up to something, that she did not have innocent intentions, and in the style of the film, I shouldn't have been able to detect that in the beginning. She played sketchy-as-hell very well, but she needed to begin her performance with "I'm-just-trying-to-help."
    Rooney Mara was excellent. She embodied her character throughout the entirety of the film and played well off of the other actors. Perfection.

Plot Impression:
   I was very surprised by the film and the plot line. This was partly due to the film promos being incredibly vague about the plot, but they gave enough of an impression to guess the story, and I guessed wrong. Which, as a writer, doesn't happen very often. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised with the turn the Law-Mara plot line took halfway through the film. It was surprising, unexpected, and ended in a way that satisfied my preferences by the end of the movie. I was disappointed with the use of Zeta-Jones' character; she definitely could have been integrated into the developing story in a much better way, and it sort of left me feeling very... "Really? Really, this is happening right now?"
    The film could have definitely been set up in a different way to make the conclusion come out with much stronger convictions, which would have inevitably given Tatum's character more use and importance.
    Speaking from a writer's point of view, the story was good and surprising, but it definitely could have gone through another round of edits and become stronger.

Overall Impression:
   I enjoyed watching this film a lot more than I expected I would. While I obviously have critiques after thinking about it for a few days, walking out of the theater, I was singing nothing but praises.
   I think the music and score definitely improved the viewing experience of this film. The music was subtle and beautiful, and enhanced the experience in my opinion.
   Would I see this movie again? Probably not in theaters, but I'll buy it on DVD.


The Blonde's Rating: 4/5 ****
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
Average Rating: 7.4/10


Thanks!
The Blonde

Welcome to The Blonde Reviews

Hello!

Welcome to the Blonde Reviews, where I -the blonde -review books and movies and TV shows that I watch right here in semi-perfect prose.

Now, seeing as I'm still kind of poor and pathetic and unpopular, I can't always update movies and TV shows in a timely manner, because I'm working into the wee hours of the morning.

My taste in books tends toward the YA Fantasy/Chick Lit realms (sorry I'm not sorry), but I do sometimes venture outside my comfort zone and try something new -especially with suggestions!

Movies range all over the place -except into horror/scary movies (unless I get lots of readers that want to make me suffer and ask and ask and ask me to go and review them).

TV shows are a little harder, because I can't keep up a regular TV-watching schedule, but there are shows that I follow every season, and sometimes I just have to do super major catch-up sessions every few weeks to keep myself updated.

So yes, I can't promise you the most timely of reviews, but I can promise you that they will be the best and most honest that I can give to you.

I'd never give anything less.

Thanks!
The Blonde