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3 / 25 / 12

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Hunger Games Fever

Catch the Katniss Craze

I’ve been looking forward to seeing the Hunger Games movie a little bit.

That’s a lie. I’ve been looking forward to it for OVER A YEAR! From the minute they cast Jennifer Lawrence in the lead role of Katniss, I’ve been eagerly waiting to see Suzanne Collins’ young adult dystopia brought to life on the big screen. As they added cast members, I got more and more squeal-y. It looks like I’m not alone…

A magical combination of wildly popular books, brilliant marketing on the part of Lionsgate and some form of mass hysteria created a perfect storm of movie madness – and set all sorts of box office records in the process. It’s huge opening weekend brought the studio a reported $214 million. I saw it on opening day. I never see anything on opening day! It’s a phenomenon, I tell you, a bonafide phenomenon!

What records is it breaking, you ask? Well, it’s now the highest grossing non-sequel opening weekend ever, the highest March opening ever and even the 5th highest opening day of all time. Pretty good for a little girl who shoots arrows.

I think the massive box office shows a couple more things – that young adult fiction doesn’t have to suck (I’m looking at you, Twilight) and that this series appeals not only to teenage girls but to teenage boys and adults of both genders. Nice job, Ms. Collins!

But how is the movie – really? Good question. You can find out here, and decide if you want to shell out some of your hard earned dollars to see The Phenomenon for yourself. Me? I’m hungry for the next installment…

3 / 6 / 12

Sue Millinocket

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New on Netflix – March 6th and March 13th

How many movies can you watch?

The coming weeks are going to test your movie watching mettle as Netflix offers up a big load of new releases. The good news is that a lot of big movies and shows are being released for purchase and on Netflix on the same day (Game of Thrones – YAY!). The bad news is that I don’t have time to watch everything I want to see from this batch! But I will persevere and park myself on the couch for as long as it takes. I’m just that devoted. As always, you can find more Netflix release dates at Everything Netflix.

March 6th

Game of Thrones: Season 1 (TV drama, Sean Bean, Mark Addy) – I’ve been waiting patiently for this HBO series to arrive. As always, I include only TV that interests me – but this one interests LOTS of people. A huge hit for HBO.

Footloose (musical, Kenny Wormwald, Julianne Hough) – I just can’t do it. I don’t know who you are, Kenny Wormwald, but I know you’re no Kevin bacon.

The Skin I Live In (foreign drama, Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya) – This one, about a grieving plastic surgeon, looks equal parts fascinating and super-creepy.

Jack and Jill (comedy, Adam Sandler, Katie Holmes) – Just as I was starting to have some respect for Katie Holmes…

Like Crazy (drama, Felicity Jones, Anton Yelchin) – This long-distance romance drama won high praise at Sundance.

Wyatt Earp’s Revenge (western, Val Kilmer, Shawn Roberts) – Val Kilmer narrates as an older Wyatt Earp. Might be worthwhile if westerns are your thing.

Mercenaries (action, Robert Fucilla, Billy Zane) – I think there will be lots of shooting here.

High Road (comedy, Ed Helms, Lizzy Caplan) – Instant Streaming Only

The Lie (comedy, Joshua Leonard, Jess Weixler) – Instant Streaming Available

March 13th

The Killing: Season 1 (TV drama, Mereille Enos, Joel Kinnaman) – More TV that interests me! AMC, home of the awesome The Walking Dead, also offers up this acclaimed series that looks like a sort of Twin Peaks without the Lynchian weirdness.

The Three Musketeers (action, Orlando Bloom) – Yeah……no.

My Week With Marilyn (drama, Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne) – I don’t know much about this but it garnered Oscar nominations for Michelle Williams and Kenneth Branagh. I think some minimal interest in Marilyn Monroe is required, so I’m out.

Young Adult (comedy, Charlize Theron, Patrick Wilson) – Directed by Jason Reitmand, who also did Juno and Up in the Air, I’m definitely willing to give Theron a chance to make me laugh.

Melancholia (drama, Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg) – Well, this sounds like an odd little beast – combining a family drama with an end of the world drama. But it’s directed by Lars von Trier, so of course it’s odd.

The Swell Season (documentary, Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova) – I love these two. I saw the movie Once after seeing them perform their winning song on the Oscars and loved the movie. The I bought the soundtrack and loved that, too. This documentary charts their course in the aftermath of that success.

Bag It (documentary, Jeb Berrier, Anne Reeser) – Documentary about plastic bags. Seriously. And it looks pretty good.

Stuck Between Stations (drama, Sam Rosen, Zoe Lister Jones) – Ahhh, romance. Josh Hartnett co-stars, killing any hopes of enjoying that romance.

The Adventures of Tintin (family adventure, Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis) – A Steven Spielberg/Peter Jackson motion capture creation. I was surprised not to see this nominated for Best Animated feature – has the motion capture film created a potential new category?

Neverland (action, Rhys Ifans, Anna Friel) – TV Peter Pan.

Weekend (romance, Tom Cullen, Chris New) – Gay romance.

The Women on the 6th Floor (foreign comedy, Fabrice Luchini, Sandrine Kiberlain) – Something about maids quitting, new ones being hired, stuffy employers, etc.

Loosies (drama, Peter Facinelli, Jaimie Alexander) – Petty thief finds out he’s going to be a father.

That’s a lot of watching to be done. I’ve got both Game of Thrones and The Killing on my queue – that equals hours and hours of watching. Add The Skin I Live In, Young Adult, The Swell Season, Bag It…I’m going to sink into the sofa and not emerge until summer. For those of you unfamiliar with Game of Thrones, you might want to plow through the first book in the George R. R. Martin series on which it’s based.

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A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1) (Paperback)

By (author) George R.R. Martin

List Price:	$17.00 USD
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Release date March 22, 2011.

2 / 26 / 12

Sue Millinocket

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2012 Oscar Movies on Netflix

When can you see them? WHEN?

As is my usual tradition, I like to see as many of each year’s Oscar nominated movies as I can. Or, I should say, as many as I can muster even the slightest enthusiasm for. Not just Best Picture nominees, but also those that have nominated performances. But I know I’m not going to see them all in the theater. I don’t have time, not everything comes here, some things are long gone before the nominations come out and, foremost, I have Netflix. I can see them all when I’m good and ready! Let’s take a look and see which nominated movies are already available to be shipped to your mailbox and when the others might be coming.

Best Picture Nominees

The Artist - Still in theaters. DVD release date unknown.

The Descendants – Available on Netflix, DVD and Blu-Ray April 10th

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – Coming out on DVD for purchase on March 27th, Netflix release unknown.

The Help – Available on Netflix – DVD and Blu-Ray

Hugo – Available on Netflix, DVD and Blu-Ray

Midnight in Paris – Available on Netflix, DVD and Blu-Ray

Moneyball – Available on Netflix, DVD and Blu-Ray

The Tree of Life – Available on Netflix, DVD and Blu-Ray

War Horse – Available on Netflix, DVD and Blu-Ray April 3rd

Additional Nominees

A Better Life (Best Actor nomination for Demian Bechir) – Available on Netflix, DVD and Blu-Ray

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Best Actor nomination for Gary Oldman) – Available on Netflix, DVD and Blu-Ray

Albert Nobbs (Best Actress nomination for Glenn Close and Best Supporting Actress nomination for Janet McTeer) – Netflix release May 15th

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Best Actress nomination for Rooney Mara) – Available on Netflix, DVD and Blu-Ray

The Iron Lady (Best Actress nomination for Meryl Streep) – Available on Netflix, DVD and Blu-Ray on April 10

My Week With Marilyn (Best Actress nomination for Michelle Williams and Best Supporting Actor nomination for Kenneth Branagh) – Available on Netflix, DVD and Blu-Ray

Warrior (Best Supporting Actor nomination for Nick Nolte) – Available on Netflix, DVD and Blu-Ray

Beginners (Best Supporting Actor nomination for Christopher Plummer) – Available on Netflix, DVD and Blu-Ray

Bridesmaids (Best Supporting Actress nomination for Melissa McCarthy) – Available on Netflix, DVD and Blu-Ray

So rent away, Netflix users – there are many to choose from already and more coming quite soon. Settle in, have some popcorn and bring Oscar to your couch.

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Plastic Popcorn Containers - Set of 4 ()

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2 / 26 / 12

Sue Millinocket

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2012 Oscar Movies #7 and #8 – The Artist & The Descendants

Saving the best for last

I take it all back. I retract any previous negative sentiments I might have expressed about The Artist. I admit, the trailer chapped my ass and the hype didn’t help. Fortunately my OCD Oscar Movie Completist Gene forced me to see it anyway and it turns out I WAS SO WRONG. You can see exactly how wrong when you go and read my full review.

It’s interesting how much I can be swayed by popular sentiment and poor marketing. I don’t consider myself all that gullible in general, but I am stubborn as hell and not immune to annoying bits of film. When a movie whose trailer looks crappy is getting all sorts of gushy love from the whole entertainment world, I’m a skeptic. We all know they put the best stuff in the trailers and if that were true for The Artist it would be the most annoying movie of the year.

If it hadn’t been for the Oscar nomination I never would have seen the movie and it would have been my loss. It’s not going to change my life, but it’s been a while since I was so thoroughly entertained at the theater. This is a good one to try and catch on the big screen if you can. It will probably hold up okay on DVD, but the experience will be quite a bit diminished unless you have a great big TV and awesome sound system.

Behind Door #2

Today we have a twofer! Since the Oscar broadcast is tonight, I figured I better hurry out and see the last two available nominees (me and half the city – purchase those tickets early!) so scurried out to catch The Descendants.

I always thought that Hawaii was over-hyped. It couldn’t possibly be as wonderful and magical and beautiful as everyone said. They had to say that to rationalize the exorbitant airfare they paid to get there to vacation, right? Wrong. When I finally went it turns out that it is fabulous and magical with perfect weather and pristine beaches. If you’re a tourist. Which I was, so I was perfectly content in my blissful paradise.

Turns out that there really is no such thing as paradise if you live there. Of course, I knew all along that it only seemed perfect because we were on vacation from our real lives. The Descendants shows that even in paradise, things go horribly, tragically wrong. You might have a better view outside the hospital window, but people live and die and suffer there just like they do anywhere else.

Sort of pops my “return to Hawaii” vacation fantasy.

But the movie is good – better than good. George Clooney still has a thing or two up his sleeve and he gets to play parent here. Add his beauty to that of the landscape and how can you lose? You can read my full review here.

And the Oscar goes to…

So the broadcast is tonight and I’ve seen 8 of the 9 Best Picture nominees. My Completist Gene isn’t happy about that 9th movie, but Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close left theaters before I got a chance to see it and won’t be out on DVD until March 27th. Poor planning, Warner Bros. You can read reviews of the other 8 right here on Movie Rewind to help you decide which to see and which to pass by.

2012 Oscar Movies Reviewed on Movie Rewind

The Descendants

The Artist

The Tree of Life

Midnight in Paris

2 / 24 / 12

Sue Millinocket

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2012 Oscar Movies #6 – The Tree of Life

Wait…..what happened?

Oh, Academy. You are full of surprises. Usually your Best Picture nominees are so predictable – dramas with social messages and a couple of popular movies that have no chance of winning. But as I’ve said before – many times now – it’s a weak year. And in weak years we get some interesting nominees. The weirdest of the bunch by far this year is Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life.

In usual circumstances I doubt I would have seen Tree of Life. Malick isn’t my favorite and the descriptions and reviews of this experimental escapade made me wary. But it got a Best Picture nomination, so into the DVD player it went.

I don’t regret seeing the movie. Not at all, really. So that’s something. I doubt I’ll ever see it again, so that’s something different. It’s the kind of movie that makes me feel a little dumb and unsophisticated. Like I live down on the farm and only see the moving pictures if we have a good beet harvest. Even if I was raised and lived in the heart of a bustling metropolis and spent my days being chic and witty, Tree of Life would have me digging beets and hoping the outhouse was stocked with Sears & Roebucks catalogues. That’s not a feeling I generally seek in my movie viewing experience. It does, however, make me consider putting beets in my garden this spring.

Some of you will love this movie. Some will hate it. You can read my full review here. Up next on the Oscar Movie review rundown? The Artist.