Oscars 2013: The Verdict

After too few hours of sleep, I cannot be expected to write a coherent text. So I'll just write random thoughts, in a random order. Then I'll maybe sleep some more.

Kristin Chenoweth was a nice change on the Red Carpet, because she was actually a pretty natural interviewer. The first hours were otherwise full of both amused and agonized sighs, aimed towards the incredibly American Red Carpet people. The Finnish commentators made fun of the waving, which was amusing.

The dresses were nice, of course, but I was hoping for more color. And there was not one definite favorite, like last year, with Jessica Chastain, oooh, I still just want to stare at it. But some of my favorites were Halle Berry, Jennifer Lawrence, the little 9-year-old Que, Jessica Chastain (doesn't come close to last year's awe, though), Octavia Spencer, Sally Field and Charlize Theron.

I really did not have any expectations about the host, Seth MacFarlene, but he proved himself to be very hilarious in just a few minutes. Last year they took it so safe with (the ever-charming) Billy Chrystal, so I liked that the jokes were "controversial" this year. I liked the joke about Kate Winslet's boobs, and the one about Daniel Day Lewis trying to free Don Cheadle on the studio lot, the Captain Kirk bit, and John Wilkes Booth ("Really, 150 years and it's still too early?").

Brave won best animation, which was awesome, because I was expecting Wreck-It Ralph (need to see that, actually). I cheered. You go, best-animated-hair-ever! The guy was wearing a kilt. Which is awesome, too.

"So you got nominated for an Oscar: something a 9-year-old could do."

I got my annual fix of Robert Downey Jr. He should've stayed on stage for longer. For the whole show.

Lucius Malfoy won best cinematography for Life of Pi.

I really liked the Chicago/Dreamgirls/Les Mis bit! Catharine Zeta-Jones was a bit lip-synced, but awesome, because Velma Kelly is awesome. One Day More did not make quite that big an impact, now that the cast was wearing smart suits and sparkly dresses, instead of muddy rugs. Still, it was great, really great. Jennifer Hudson sang the heck out of the them all, though.

There was a tie! I didn't realize that can actually happen, but I think this was the third time, or something.

Adele was so great. I mean, that woman! Wow.

Jennifer! When they announced her name, I cheered and then said to my friend, 'I hope she does something dorky', and immediately after that she fell down in the stairs. You're my hero, Jennifer Lawrence!

I liked that there was a theme. It made the show a bit more coherent than usually.

I was a bit bored about Daniel Day Lewis's win, but his speech was really sweet and funny. I'd like to see Lincoln, starring Meryl Streep. By the way, Meryl Streep! Just her luck, isn't it? She thought she could maybe, just for once, skip the Oscars, because for the first time in her life she is not nominated, but then of course she had to come and present. I love her, and her dress, and just, her.

So, Argo won the main prize. Ben Affleck gave such a sweetheart speech, and it was difficult to disapprove. He doesn't usually associate his wife with Iran.

I like that everyone won a little something, and there was not one film to sweep all the awards. Argo won three, including best picture, and Life of Pi won four. So let's call it a tie, shall we? I just typed 'Life of Pie', there. Might be getting hungry. It's always appropriate to have breakfast at 3 pm.

Overall, it was a very satisfactory year. I have some problems with Argo, but who cares about my problems. Quentin won, and Christoph Waltz, and Brave, and Anne Hathaway, and Ang Lee, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson's uniforms, and Jennifer, and at one point there were five Avengers on stage. Harry Potter danced and sang. Channing Tatum didn't take his clothes off, which was a bit disappointing. Ang Lee thanked the movie god, and I understood what he said in Chinese (he said thank you: what a shocker). Meryl Streep literally did not need introductions. That was hilarious, and so true.

That's that. I'll keep it nice and short, before the notorious Jaws melody begins to play and they cut me off. Until next year, Kodak Theater! Yeah, I know you changed your name, but there's no fooling me.

Preparing for the Oscars 2013

Oscar night is tonight. This year I won't be blogging my way through the night, which is a relief for anyone who attempted to read my running commentary for last year's gala. I will, however, as tradition goes, eat until I burst, and enjoy the heck out of myself, even though they will, as tradition goes, be rewarding all the wrong films and people.

I am unusually undetermined this year. I don't have a clear favorite, or even definite instinctive preferences. Only that I don't wish Argo to win. I'm not really on track about which film is expected to win, but I think Argo has won many other awards, right? I hope Argo won't win. That would be boring. Kind of like the movie. Okay, boring is not the right word. Underwhelming is.

Here are some categories that I have opinions about. They are very sophisticated and reasonable opinions about who I have determined should win. As you will see, I have really put much thought and consideration on this.

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Visual effects: The Avengers. And the Oscar goes to Captain America! What's the category? Who cares!

Make-up: The Hobbit. The little brother of Lord of the Rings deserves at least one Oscar, right?

Costume design: Anna Karenina. Mm-hm. Excellent costume designing here, yes. I'm not talking about Anna's dresses. I'm talking about uniforms that go great with the hottest mustache in history.

Cinematography: Life of Pi. I'm thinking about that underwater shot where Pi sees the sinking ship. That was a cool shot. Oscar-worthy, perhaps.

Animated film: Brave. I haven't seen any of the other animations, but I know for sure none of them features as much amazing hair as Brave.

Adapted screenplay: Life of Pi. Just a hunch.

Original screenplay: Django Unchained. Tarantino screenplays are hard to beat in originality!

Directing: Ang Lee. The Academy needs to make amends for robbing Brokeback Mountain that damn Best Picture Oscar. They need to make amends until the world ends. And then some.

Supporting actress: Anne Hathaway. For looking so damn miserable. And losing all that weight for a film that featured her only for what seemed like fifteen minutes.

Supporting actor: Christoph Waltz. He should get another Oscar for Hans Landa. That role was a bingo.

Actress: Jennifer Lawrence / Jessica Chastain / Naomi Watts. I love J-Law. Loooove her. But Jessica Chastain is so cool, too. And damn me, if she wears a dress as gorgeous as the one last year... I'm sold! But Naomi Watts is the only nominee in all the categories representing The Impossible. That film was crazy, I'd give it the Best Picture Oscar just for making me cry so much. So much. So insanely much. But Jennifer it is. Because she's my hero and my girl crush and she's such a dork.

Actor: Um. I really don't know. I mean, isn't it sort of given that Abraham "DDL" Lincoln triumphs? But I don't know. That would be boring.

Finally, an in-depth analysis on every Best picture contender:

Amour. Haven't seen it. It's French. So maybe I wouldn't like it. I'm intimidated by French films. Expect for silent black-and-white ones, featuring a dog.

Argo. I just don't want this one to win. It was so underwhelming. Bad, bad Middle-East. American heroes, blah. Okay, let's pretend my biggest hero of 2012 was not called Captain America.

Beasts of the Southern Wild. Haven't seen it, yet.

Django Unchained. Wouldn't mind if it won, not at all. It's quite a movie. It would actually be pretty awesome if it won. I promise I would cheer. But that's not going to happen, right? It would be too good if it did.

Les Misérables. I just went to see this one, in the afternoon before the Oscars, so I can't really say anything about it, because I'm too busy humming Do You Hear the People Sing in my head.

Life of Pi. Strange. I feel like I might be rooting for this one. That one little twist at the end of the film has definitely stuck with me.

Lincoln. Missed it in theaters. Points for American history. Points for the emancipation of slaves. But I can't imagine connecting with a film like this very much, if at all. Let's just say that I'm prejudiced, and won't be voting for America's favorite president.

Silver Linings Playbook. I've been having a hard time with this film. I wanted to love it. I didn't. I just liked it. But then again, I was really tired when I saw it. And even if I didn't love the film, I do love Jennifer Lawrence. So I will rooting for SLP as well. Not quite as much as I will be rooting for Life of Pi, Django Unchained and perhaps Les Misérables, but anyway. It's a romcom, in its core. Romcoms don't win Oscars. I'd love if for once they would.

Zero Dark Thirty. This was a really cool and interesting film, and Jessica Chastain's girl power was amazing. I would totally approve if it won. With all the controversy, though, I doubt it ever could.

*

So. I am wonderfully non-opinionated about everything. All I know is that I don't want Argo to win. Which means it probably will. Well. I got what I wanted last year, with The Artist, so maybe this year it's time for another King's Speech scale travesty. This Social Network fanatic will never forgive you, Tom Hooper! Now, if you'll excuse, I'll go listen to On My Own and pretend you didn't have anything to do with all the goosebumps I experienced at the cinema today.

The New Normal / when Klaine grew up

"I want us to have baby clothes. And a baby to wear them."

I don't know if I really like Ryan Murphy. Perhaps he is not the easiest person to like. But I guess I have to admit the man is a genius on some level. I mean, he once created that show which I kind of liked for a while, I don't remember what it's called, I think it's a four-letter word starting with a G, meaning joy and cheerfulness, or something.

...You have just read my spectacular introduction to my post about The New Normal, a new-ish sitcom by Ryan Murphy, the man behind Nip/Tuck, American Horror Story and Glee. It tells about David and Bryan, who have a really lovely relationship, but what they are missing is a baby. They find Goldie to be their surrogate, and with her they also get her 9-year old, precocious, eccentric daughter Shania, and her conservative, brutally offensive, and confusingly young grandmother. Together they make a family that ten years ago would've been really strange and groundbreaking and original, but now, with Modern Family and all that, we are just looking at quite a stereotypical 2013 sitcom family. Like, normal. I'm not sure if this what they were going for with the title, but anyways.

I hadn't watched The New Normal until today. I'd thought I should and would, partly because it's a Ryan Murphy show, and me and Ryan Murphy shows share a nice history (Except for Nip/Tuck. And American Horror Story. Hmm. Anyway!), but mostly because I loved Justin Bartha in National Treasure, more than I love American history. The New Normal just won the People's Choice Award for Best New TV Comedy, actually! I guess I could say that's why I was inspired to watch the first episode, but no, I only just noticed it won. Earlier I just noticed that The Hunger Games and the lovably dorky Jennifer Lawrence won a lot (P.S. I love you, first photos from Catching Fire!), and that RDJ always gives the best, sexiest acceptance speeches, and that Chris Colfer also won and said he finds it flattering when people exploit him in their fanfiction, which I thought was both a hilarious and extremely dangerous thing to say. Anyway! I should get some award for rambling. These posts are getting more and more out of hand...

After watching the first episode (for a random reason I guess we'll never know), I watched the second episode, and then the third, and continued until I'd watched all the episodes that have come out so far. Don't freak out, there's only been twelve, and the episodes are sitcom short. The show is nothing new, really, or utterly genius like Glee, but it's fun and I really like the characters (although some more than others).

And it's a bit like Glee, to be honest: First, what's up with RM and Ohio? Also, there are at least three actors in the show that have also guest-starred on Glee. And character similarities... The Nana character is offensive and fires her absurd opinions and insults at everyone's faces, but there is reason and heart underneath her plain-colored tracksuits, um, I mean jacket suits. Bryan and David are more or less what we could imagine Kurt and Blaine to be, fifteen years after high school. I mean, you easily could've had Darren Criss play the college-graduate David in those flashbacks, with the big curly hair and dorky/cool glasses. Just add a bow-tie. Well. Don't you worry, Kurt and Blaine! When you grow up you can leave that dreadful place also known as Fox, and move to NBC, and then you can kiss more, like normal couples! (I'm not complaining, of course. No one hugs like Klaine!)

Ryan Murphy has often said Kurt is based on himself in high school. Now, I don't have to read any interviews to know who Bryan is based on. Come on, who is that name fooling? To rub it on our faces even more, (B)ryan runs a popular TV show called Sing, starring a lot of young people like a kid in a wheelchair who isn't actually in a wheelchair and who wears weird pullovers, and someone I'm pretty sure he called Lea before naming her his favorite. And then once he decided to break up a fan favorite couple on the show so that teenagers would cry for months. Touche. I might be past teenage, but dang it, the sun hasn't shone quite as bright since the damnable day Klaine broke up.

I feel like I've done nothing in this post but talked about Glee and mocked The New Normal itself. It's not news that I like talking about Glee. Like it's not news that there are similarities in these two shows (I mean, I'm pretty sure some of those lines about daring to dream and being proud of who you are were actually quoted word-to-word from Glee). Like it's not news that Ryan Murphy is most inspired by Ryan Murphy (which is not necessarily a bad thing, I mean, who am I to judge, having once again spent another day watching a show of his). Like it's not news that I don't know where I'm heading to with this paragraph. I think I was trying to make a transition to talk about my favorite characters.

I love Justin Bartha in this show as much as I loved him in National Treasure. He single-handedly saved that movie from Nicholas Cage, like he almost saved National Treasure: Book of Secrets from yet another Nicholas Cage. He's just a really cool actor. And I like David, the butch gay of the bunch. I also like Shania, the quirky young girl with the personality and the glasses that no one can help but associate to Little Miss Sunshine. (Not a bad thing!) Completing my top three is Nana Sylvester, or whatever her name is, 'the last real American', the biggest Republican in the world.

The New Normal is a fun, cute show. And there must be something slightly addictive about it, since I just watched all the episodes in one afternoon. I've been mocking it for resembling Glee, but there has really been extremely little singing, and honestly, I wouldn't be fooling anyone if I said I didn't like the Glee parallels. Like I said before in this horribly meandering post, The New Normal is nothing new, though. Except for some idiots in Utah who banned it from the state television, and also for 38 idiots who signed a hilarious petition I found online, demanding NBC to stop airing the show. Christian society and innocent children, and all that, you know. Sometimes I forget how some people still find certain things so new and scary. Oh well! I'll be very happy to keep watching this same-old-same-old, and hopefully they'll even make another season! With the People's Choice Award fresh in their back-pockets, they just might. More Justin Bartha for me! (Please make National Treasure 3! Without Nicholas Cage.)

I am truly sorry if someone decided to read this post, hoping to actually learn something about the show mentioned in the title. Well, that's not how I roll, unfortunately.

2012: A Summary of a Year

Another year over. It was a good one. I think I say that every year, but never mind. When it comes to films, and getting excited about them, 2012 was actually hands down better than 2011, for me.

Here's what you will find in this post: three films from 2011 that I have to mention now, because had I seen them last year instead of this year they would've been in my top films in 2011; an honorable mention, because I didn't blog and thus give away top spots in 1997; TV shows that I was hooked on; some people, both real and fictional, that I liked this year; seven films that I liked the most in 2012.

(The picture above is from Lust, Caution, which I actually saw in 2011. I wanted a picture to reflect something of my 2012 in total, just like I chose such pictures to the equivalent posts of 2010 and 2011 (Chaplin, and The Wizard of Oz). I needed a very Chinese picture, because that's what my year was. I remember really liking Lust, Caution, so there I got my necessary Chinese picture.)

The Hunger Games, Round Two

I visited Panem again today. I was still a very enjoyable experience! (Believe me, it was, despite what I'm going to say next.)

Movie-Peeta is still a bit whiny and sissy. I spotted the key scenes that kind of make him lame and not right for me: 1) When he says he knows he can't win, and even his mom thought so. He sounds bitter at Katniss, like he was making himself a martyr. He should be calmer; hurt, of course, but hiding it, for Katniss. That's how I always saw it in my head. 2) When he waves at the Capitol people from the train, smiling idiotically. Haymitch's comment saves a lot, even though to me Peeta really doesn't look like "he knows what he's doing", he just looks like he likes the attention and the shiny Capitol. 3) When they show his score; again, he cares way too much about himself and a stupid score, and looks happy and relieved that he didn't make a fool out of himself. He should've just made some dry comment about sacks of flour as lethal weapons. 4) When Katniss finds him by the stream and treats his wounds and it looks bad. I can't get over the absence of "You here to finish me off, sweetheart?"... The scenes in the cave make Peeta look weak and fragile, a simple little boy, and he really is not that.

On the other hand, I also paid attention to the things that made Peeta feel like the real Peeta. He's not a total loss... 1) Joking with Ceasar in his interview. 2) The "I don't want them to change me" speech. 3) When he screams for Katniss to run in her "hallucination". 4) The bow joke. 5) When they announce that there is only one winner after all, and he tells Katniss to shoot him. 6) When he touches her braid. I also liked the final scene better now than last time. I mean, it really isn't that clear that it was mostly a game for Katniss and Peeta is extremely hurt, but chooses to be the bigger man and all that, but if you know what is going on in the characters' heads, it works quite well.

Jennifer is still the perfect Katniss.

Seneca Crane's beard still held my gaze every second it was on screen.

The District 11 scene was still spectacular, and the goosebumps were terrific.

...Ahem. This really was not the kind of post that I was supposed to write. Really. I guess I just care too much about my Peeta. But I don't think it's a coincidence that three out of three of the people I know who saw the movie but didn't read the books weren't very amazed by Peeta. And as you know, among the fans of the books, Peeta is probably the biggest favorite. I suppose I should be extremely mad that they didn't get him 100 % right in the movie (I certainly thought I would be if this were to happen), but nah, I don't know. It's just the movie. The real Peeta is still the most lovable thing ever, and nothing can take that away.

I feel like reading the books, again.

EDIT// I actually turned my laptop back on to write this. Haha, obsessive much? Anyway, about Haymitch! He wasn't drunk enough. Or mean enough. After his first scene he pretty much turns into a jolly fellow, who very clearly likes Katniss. No "Stay alive". No "Did I actually get a pair of fighters this year?". No "You've got about as much charm as a dead slug". It is actually easy to like the movie-Haymitch, which means something is definitely wrong.

...Oh my god, can you see what I'm turning into? Next I'll start nit-picking about Buttercup being black instead of orange. Or about Effie not saying "It's a big, big big day!" even once. That was quite a shame, actually... Aw, bed! Now woman!

The Hunger Games (2012) / three, two, one... fire!

directed by Gary Ross / starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, Wes Bentley, Donald Sutherland

SPOILER ALERT!

FI-FREAKING-NALLY! I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for this movie! (...Actually, I can. Since Septemper 2010, when I read the books.) I experienced some random bursts of excitement all day, and kept squeaking and anxiously squirming in my seat during the trailers, and then...! There it was! The world of Hunger Games right before my eyes! Hallelujah! Game on!

I liked the movie! I liked it very, very much. I expected a lot of it, and I didn't have to be disappointed. They did an amazing job with it, I think. As far as recent famous-book-series-turned-into-big-budget-films go, this was almost Lord of the Rings quality. Like all the early reviews have been saying, The Hunger Games is not just another adaption: it works alone as a film, too. I went to see the film with a friend who hadn't read the books (she will, though, after tonight), and she enjoyed it a lot, too. It's not like, for example, with the Harry Potter films, which are mostly just fun extentions for the books.

Now let's see. What did I like... Well, the overall mood of the film was just right. It felt like the same universe that I had imagined when reading the books. Watching the film felt like reading the books did. There was similar excitement and suspense and anticipation and adrenaline. I had some MASSIVE goosebumps (tribute parade, first Cornucopia scene, District 11 and the three finger salute...), I almost cried a couple of times, and once in a while I felt like cheering. Just like when reading the books. Much of the mood was achieved through the superb costumes and the sets. I mean, I just loved the Capitol and the ridiculous outfits and the ultramodern look of everything. And the awesomely interesting contrast that is created when the luxury and bright colors change into the grey, gloomy District 12. That's one reason why this story just needed to be transfered to the big screen.

It felt like the Games part of the book was cut relatively short, and the emphasis was on the the preparation and all that. Which I actually didn't mind! A lot of interesting stuff was missing from the Games, but majority of it happened inside Katniss's head anyway, and it's understandable that they don't want to show Katniss looking for water for two days. Oh, but I can't tell you how much I loved the new points of view; how we got to look at behind the scenes of the Games and witness some intense moments with President Snow. And the little clip from District 11! It was all so fresh and exciting, and it gave a new, fascinating dimension to the story. All the foreshadowing about the rebellion made me very happy.

Now, let's talk about characters and actors! Jennifer Lawrence was pretty much perfect, I have not a criticizing word to say about her. I am eternally grateful that she is Katniss and no one else. I didn't mind Haymitch's hair once I got past the initial shock, because Woody Harrelson was great, as one might expect. I wouldn't watched much more of him, though. Elizabeth Banks was a wonderfully horrible Effie. Two characters that stood out for me, because they had bigger roles in the movie thanks to the new aspects of narrating, were Stanley Tucci's slimy/charming Ceasar Flickerman and Wes Bentley's Head Gamemaker Seneca Crane. Both characters were much more interesting than they were in the books! Loved Ceasar's "red carpet" commentary, and the last scene with Crane, just brilliant and chilling! Cato stood out, too! Great, additional stuff in the end. A nice, "Remember who the enemy is" kind of a moment.

Can I get to the subject of Peeta now? Okay. If you have read any of my THG posts, you know that I'm the biggest Peeta fan. And I have to say that the film Peeta was not quite as lovable the original book Peeta. It was not about Josh Hutcherson or his acting, I think; he did quite a good job. I just think they had made the movie Peeta quite one dimensional and a bit boring. "Hajuton, väritön, mauton", as we say in Finland. He now seemed like a nice enough boy, though a bit simple and a little sissy. He had an innocent crush on a girl and he liked holding hands with her. But something was missing.

It's not good that I had just read the book before I saw the movie. It's never good. I try to steer away from all that annoying nit-picking, about that and that favourite line and scene that was excluded from the movie or wasn't done quite right. But with Peeta it actually bothered me! They had cut all of his jokes! I mean, he is actually a funny, witty guy, with some wonderful and charming self-irony on store. All the suggestive comments he makes in the cave, and "You here to finish me off, sweatheart?", and the jokes about frosting someone to death. He was too solemn.

Also, as they'd kind of played down the romance aspect of the story (Where were all the kisses?? We got about one and a half, if that. Haha. Sorry, but I really wanted kisses...), the final scene with Katniss and Peeta (when it's supposed to be all dramatic and heartbreaking because it wasn't a show for Peeta, and for Katniss it was, but only for the most part, which is why she's all confused now, but anyway she doesn't want to play house anymore) was a bit lame and anticlimactic. In the book the scene is so awesome, with Peeta so clearly hurt, and Katniss can't do anything but feel horrible, and then Peeta once more shows his awesomeness with that "One more time, for the cameras?" comment and Katniss takes his hand and fears for the moment when she'll finally have to let go. Ah! Oh well, maybe that's what they went for, ambiguity about Katniss's true feelings...

The movie Peeta wasn't totally hopeless, just not as lovable as the book Peeta. I'm hoping for some progress in the sequels. And anyway, one can be a mere fraction as lovable as the book Peeta, and still be more lovable than all the other characters put together. That's just how lovable he is. Look at that darling face.

What else did I have to say...? Well, I just went to check out some comments on IMDb. I should stop going there, that place is full of idiots. Haha. If I hear "Battle Royal rip-off" one more time, I swear I'll... be as annoyed as all the other times I hear that. Sigh. I spotted many disappointed comments, but I will not let those bother me, because I was indeed very happy with the film! I liked the shaky camera work, the music, the editing between the arena and the Districts and the Gamemakers' control room... I think there was just enough violence. PG-13 was just fine with me; I mean, I didn't want to see any gore! There was just enough blood and fighting. Kids are killing kids, okay, no need to show all the details. Though I did like what Cato did with that poor guy's neck. Oh SNAP!

Some more random things that I liked:  Fox-Face, especially the intense moment when she and Katniss (literally) bump into each other. Katniss trembling all over before sent up to the arena in the tube. Rue's death scene and how Katniss mourns her afterwards. Seneca Crane's beard (couldn't stop staring at it). The Reaping. Gale and Katniss mouthing to each other during the Reaping. The scene with the apples and the explosion. The trackerjacker hallucinations. Haymitch telling them that they're going to die (though "Stay alive" is better). How the idea about letting both tributes from one District win came from Haymitch. How Peeta cries on the way to the train and Effie keeps babbling about some outrageously shallow stuff, like she always does. Effie's "That's mahogany!". Ceasar's interview with Peeta. Peeta's joke about the bow (Now there's some of that self-deprecating humour I so much love!). When Peeta tells Katniss about the first time he saw her. The first berry scene, Katniss's panic and "Damn you, Peeta!". (Well, looks like Peeta wasn't a total loss for me, after all...)

I probably had more things I wanted to point out, but let that be it for now. I will definitely go see the movie again, and maybe I'll write another post then. I have a feeling that I won't be able to think about anything else but Hunger Games in the next few days...

Next, I'll start looking forward to Catching Fire casting news. Can't wait to get faces for Johanna and Finnick and Coin! Other than that, November 2013 is so freaking far away that I just try not to think about it...

Winter's Bone (2010) - cold like winter, hard like bone

 directed by Debra Granik / starring Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Garret Dillahunt

So, I'm depressed now. Damn these movies that are so sad and gloomy and bleak that you lose a handful of your will to live. Winter's Bone was almost as depressing as Precious. (But not quite. That film is the most depressing piece of fiction ever. Just mentioning the title gets my spirits down. I never want to see it again. Please don't make me.) Everything is so dark and cold all time, no one smiles and nothing nice happens. Just more and more bad things, one after another. Give it a rest, and have party or something, okay?

Of course, the Dolly family doesn't have much to celebrate. The 17-year-old Ree is supporting for her two younger siblings and her mentally absent mother, and as if life wasn't hard enough as it is, they will lose their house unless their physically absent father turns up in court. Ree is determined to find him, but no one seems to be either willing or able to help her. And things just suck, a lot.

Jennifer Lawrence is the supporting force of the film just as Ree is of her family. Her distress is convincing, and she's tough, but there's warmth in her too. I think I can a Katniss in there somewhere! The Hunger Games fans shouldn't be worried, as she quite certainly will deliver. Also, John Hawkes does a powerful role as Ree's uncle Teardrop. I can almost forgive him for basically snitching Andrew Garfield's Oscar nomination. And he did that short-lived guest appearance in Lost, too, after all. So I'm quite pro-John Hawkes.

Winter's Bone is quite a good film. It's different from mainstream Hollywood, which is always a plus. Major, serious female roles is another plus. The plot is very simple and not much happens, so it's not the most suspenseful and thrilling film, and I can't say I enjoyed it, in the real sense of the word. I don't think I'll very soon feel like seeing it again.

But still, I'm glad to have seen it this once. Reminded me once again how miserable everything is, if nothing else... Sigh. It's quite shocking that people really still live like that in America, in the hopeless circle of unemployment, poverty and drugs. The film is set is Missouri, which is next to Kansas, where I'll be moving in in August. And these films I've recently seen don't give too a flattering image about the area: on the other side of Kansas there is Colorado (see: Bowling for Columbine) and on the other, Missouri. Anyone know any depresing films set in Nebraska or Oklaholma? I don't want to get my hopes up about the other neighbouring states...

"Never ask for what oughta be offered."

Get ready Panem, here's your Katniss!

The leading actress of the upcoming Hunger Games movie has finally been chosen! The lucky girl is Jennifer Lawrence, best known for her role in The Winter's Bone, which also got her an Oscar nomination. I haven't yet seen the film, but I believe Jennifer has got the talent to bring the strong, hardened-by-life Katniss alive on the screen. And quite honestly, I'm just really happy Effy from Skins wasn't chosen. So I'm all thumbs up for this choice! She may be 20, while Katniss is 16, but this won't be the first time an actor is older than their character. This is not a John Travolta/Grease situation, after all.

Next, I'm anxiously waiting for news about who will play the male lead, Peeta. I'm a huge Peeta fan and the casting is only a matter of life and death for me. I NEED TO LIKE HIM. Just let it not be Alex Pettyfer.