Rashid Irani's review: The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games
Direction: Gary Ross
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson
The past decade has witnessed the rise of tweenagers as a significant audience contributing to the success of The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Twilight series.

Adapted from the first of three wildly-popular young-adult novels by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games taps into themes — courage in the face of adversity; struggle against oppressive regimes — with strong appeal for older viewers as well.

Cannily maintaining our involvement throughout its two hours and 20 minutes runtime, the post-apocalyptic thriller has us root for the resourceful young heroine in her fight for survival.

The fatherless girl (Lawrence) hunts and barters for food for her mother and fragile younger sister. Living in abject poverty in the coal-mining district of a dystopian nation, she clings to the one chance of hope by volunteering for the titular winner-take-all competition.

Every year, children from the ages of 12 to 18 are pitted against each other in an elaborately-controlled arena until there’s only one of them left standing. The fight-to-the-death conflict is broadcast live on television.

The Roman satirist Juvenal’s formulation, nearly two millennia ago, that bread and spectacle are all it takes to appease the populace, still resonates. The popularity of reality TV shows suggests that we haven’t come far from the ancient Coliseum era.

Aided by the sumptuous photography by Clint Eastwood’s regular collaborator, Tom Stern, as well as dazzling production values, director Ross (Seabiscuit) delivers large-scale excitement.

The first hour or so is especially splendid. Once the games kick off, the narrative does tend to lose momentum. The courtship with a fellow fighter (Hutcherson) is more cloying than convincing. On the other hand, the brief encounter with a pint-sized African-American girl packs an emotional punch.

Oscar-nominated Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone, 2010) brings heartbreaking soul to her character’s transformation from underdog to a symbol of revolt. Woody Harrelson as the alcoholic mentor and Elizabeth Banks as an outlandish escort are in fine fettle.

While the hideously coiffured Stanley Tucci provides some comic relief in the role of the talk-show host, old-timer Donald Sutherland is understatedly menacing as the president.

May the odds ever be in favour of The Hunger Games becoming a blockbuster new franchise.

Jennie Garth, Peter Facinelli divorce papers filed

Actor Peter Facinelli filed for divorce from actress Jennie Garth yesterday in Los Angeles, citing "irreconcilable differences," TMZ reports.
The couple seeks joint physical and legal custody of their daughters Luca, 14, Lola, 9 and Fiona, 5, according to the website.

In Garth's response to the divorce petition, she requests to have her name legally changed from Jennifer Facinelli back to Jennifer Garth.
Meanwhile, Garth told People magazine she had been resisting his desire to end their 11-year marriage.
"I didn't want it to happen," the actress, 39, said in the issue going on sale Friday. "It took me some time to come to peace with it."
She said Facinelli first broached the idea of a divorce last fall; the couple announced their split earlier this month.
Facinelli, 38, saw his career take off with roles as Carlisle Cullen in the "Twilight" films and Dr. Cooper on Showtime's "Nurse Jackie," requiring him to spend much time in Vancouver and New York City for filming.
"He would do everything he could to fly back every weekend" to the family's Santa Ynez Valley, Calif., home, Garth said. "[But] it took a real toll on our marriage."
Contributing, she conceded, "were the common issues any woman has, and especially a woman in this industry, of insecurities. There was jealousy over having to see your husband onscreen with another woman."
Garth told People that her marriage troubles led to depression. "I would take the girls to school, then go back and get into bed and not get up again until it was time to pick them up from school," she said. "I had to pretend everything was fine."
But Garth said she is now moving forward. "I'm slowly finding my own voice again," she said.

The hunger games / Breaking Dawn 1 box office :A Virtual Tie?

The hunger games to open with about $ 66 million at 4137 locations in North America on Friday, according to Deadline.com. West Coast performances not yet counted, so numbers may go down or slightly before the official studio estimates released Saturday morning.

According to Deadline's "sources" The Hunger Games is likely to sign for $ 138 million by Sunday night, placing it on a level with the most recent Twilight movie, Bill Condon, the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1, while easily surpassing (both in box office receipts and ticket sales) Tim Burton / Johnny Depp / Mia Wasikowska fantasy Alice in Wonderland - $ 116.1 million in 3728 locations in 2010 - the biggest blockbuster ever in March.
Now, as the hunger games actually $ 138 million range, it has collected less than 50% of its total weekend on the first day, a rarity for such big openers, although the vast majority of early then like to Harry Potter and the Twilight movies.
Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight is an exception to the rule. The sequel to Nolan's Batman begins grossed $ 67.16 million on Friday (including $ 18.5 million from midnight screenings), or approximately 42% of the film's $ 158 million on its debut weekend to take. Daniel Radcliffe / Ralph Fiennes's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Friday gross represents 54% of the movie on opening weekend, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1's represent 52%.

A non-sequel, Alice in Wonderland's Friday represented 35% of the fantasy / adventure opening weekend gross - but it was mainly because Kiddie flicks perform infinitely better on the weekend properly. Even the first twilight, a non-drop like the hunger games based on a bestselling novel for young adults earning 52% of the total opening weekend on the first day.
One of the most important difference - the hunger games expected box-office stamina to just be in generally positive reviews and solid word-of-mouth. The Gary Ross-directed The futuristic adventure drama received much better notices than Catherine Hardwicke / Kristen Stewart / Robert Pattinson romance fantasy Twilight: 82% vs 53% approval rating among rotten tomatoes top critics. Back in November 2008, Twilight opened with $ 69 million (approximately $ 77 million today) in 3419 theaters - 700 fewer locations than the hunger games.
Distributed by Fox, the hunger games set on the studio's biggest box-office hit ever - by a wide margin. It reportedly cost $ 78 million addition to $ 45 million in distribution / marketing costs. The production budget is credible, but the reported marketing expenses seem suspiciously modest.
Director Gary Ross (Seabiscuit, Pleasantville) co-wrote the screenplay written by Shattered Glass / the Breach's Billy Ray, and the novel's author, Suzanne Collins. The Hunger Games stars Winter's bone / X-Men: First Class / Devil you know Jennifer Lawrence, The expendables 2 / AWOL / The Last Song's Liam Hemsworth, and Red Dawn / Carmel / Journey 2: The Mysterious Island's Josh Hutcherson .
Also in the hunger games cast: Movie 43 / What to Expect When you're expecting / Zack and Miri Make a Porno Elizabeth Banks's, 2012 / Friends with benefits / The Messenger's Woody Harrelson, The Devil Wears Prada / The Lovely Bones / Gambit's Stanley Tucci, and the redemption Boulevard / The Physician's Isabelle Fuhrman.
Plus: The Seeker: The dark Is Rising / race to Witch Mountain's Alexander Ludwig sit Babies / with Game's Jack Quaid, Fellini's Casanova / Horrible Bosses / The Mechanic's Donald Sutherland, American Beauty / loveless / The Time Being's Wes Bentley and Snow White and the Huntsman / Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets / the girl's Toby Jones.