If you’re of a certain age, today is the day the “Hunger Games” movie comes out and, like, changes the world or something. And if you’re not of a certain age — say, over 25? — you may be wondering what this “Hunger Games” is that you’ve been seeing so much about in the magazines and the cable news networks.
The answer? “The Hunger Games” is a movie! And it opens today! So why would anyone else put anything else up against it? Stupid other people, always tilting at windmills with movies that aren’t “The Hunger Games”.
Anyway, here’s what’s what at the megaplex.
“Footnote“: Joseph Cedar’s literary satire — about a rivalry between two generations of Talmudic scholars — takes a premise ripe with potential and buries it under stylistic affect. Wildly overrated on the festival circuit (and an Oscar nominee? Really?), though it has its moments.
“The Hunger Games”: Gary Ross’ adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ young-adult smash deviates from “Twilight” territory (a) by being genuinely cinematic and emotionally credible and (b) by having a pulse. It’s a bit long at 142 minutes — you could lose a lot of the first half — but once the battle royale begins, it’s pretty damn involving. Susan was a little less taken with it, though.
“One Life”: Getting into theatres a few weeks ahead of DisneyNature’s annual Earth Day release, this is a compressed version of the BBC series “Life”, narrated by Daniel Craig. Glenn acknowledges that he isn’t really the target audience.
“The Raid: Redemption“: Gareth Huw Edwards set out to make the mother of all martial-arts siege movies, and though battle fatigue set in for me around the 75-minute mark, I will say that it delivers the nonstop action it promises.
“Sisters & Brothers”: Carl Bessai’s third family project (after “Fathers & Sons” and “Mothers & Daughters”, of course) features a guy from “Glee” and a guy from “Shark Night”. Glenn surely likes it more than I would, given that I’ve never liked a Carl Bessai picture.
“Starry Starry Night”: Amazingly, this is not a Don McLean biopic — though surely the time has come for such a project — but a Taiwanese children’s fantasy that Phil finds quite enchanting.
Right. Now to get on with the day, which involves chatting with a demigod or two … catch you later!