The sensational, must-see trailers for Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy (2011) showcase an incredible cast

This is an absolute must-see film; Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011)  ranks in the top ten of my Most Anticipated Films list, partly because the novel was outstanding as well.  Given its release date, it will have to compete with the mega-blockbuster Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 1, though if you choose that movie over this one then perhaps this isn’t as appealing to you.  Nonetheless, after watching the two provided previews you should be lining up to buy your ticket(s) already.  The first trailer displays brooding suspicion backed by part of Danny Elfman’s The Wolfman score, which helps elevate the preview to one of the year’s best.  The second trailer ups the intensity and utilizes one of this year’s best scores in Henry Jackman’s “Frankenstein’s Monster” from X-Men: First Class, also one of my favorite films of the year (full review HERE).  Aside from the creative genius found in the trailers, the film features an impeccable cast of British actors.  Hopefully Gary Oldman will finally get the awards-recognition he deserves; this film is a great opportunity for him to do so.

The Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire already green-lit and set to be released in Fall 2013

The Hunger Games – starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Hemsworth, Stanley Tucci, Lenny Kravitz, Toby Jones, and Donald Sutherland – has yet to begin its theatrical run on March 23, 2012, but that hasn’t stopped Lionsgate from announcing the release date for the first of three sequels Catching Fire– set for release on November 22, 2013.  The studio plans to split The Hunger Games trilogy, written by Suzanne Collins, into four films, presumably with the final novel bifurcated ala Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Twilight: Breaking Dawn.

The Odds of Victory for The Hunger Games (2012) & An Assessment of Its Proclaimed PG-13 Rating

With the Harry Potter film franchise completed and The Twilight Saga concluding in November 2012, movie studios have been scrambling to produce the next big, and most importantly profitable, series of adaptations.  They have had a largely disappointing past half-decade given that adaptations like The Golden Compass (2007), The Da Vinci Code (2006) and The Chronicles of Narnia films have failed to generate universal appeal and/or massive box-office success, though the latter two have been popular and lucrative enough to warrant sequels but lack the increasing dividends of Harry Potteror Twilight let alone the triumph of the essentially perfect Lord of the Rings film trilogy.  Just recall how many carbon copies come out in the years following such hugely successful films, whether they involve ancient/medieval wars or magic.  A few films have managed to rise above others, such as the Bourne series (which will continue next year with The Bourne Legacy), but even that solid franchise is less commercial and its target audience is not so widespread.  Despite a number of mediocre to flat-out-flop adaptations, studios still seek out the next gold mine to pack theaters and sell millions of dollars worth of merchandise that would make the economic recession seem almost nonexistent.  However, for the most part studios have yet to find suitable successors to the tent-pole franchises.

Enter The Hunger Games (2012).  Suzanne Collins’s vastly popular young adult novels The Hunger Games Trilogy have been green-lit into four films, the first of which will appear in theaters March 23, 2012.  The source material has all the elements necessary to become a successful film trilogy, but will all audiences, not just the fan-base of readers largely consisting of teenagers, find the movies entertaining and compelling?  Given the assertion that the film will be PG-13 and the fairly inappropriate comparison to the Twilight Saga, I am not entirely sure the filmmakers have the best approach for adapting the books.  Still, The Hunger Games has a great amount of potential that could reach all audiences and turn out to be not only a victorious adaptation but also a gripping film that stands on its own.

NOTE: I have read the novels.  Moreover, you don’t have to read the books before you read this editorial.  While the fans of the books will understand certain insights better, spoilers will be kept to a minimum for the uninitiated.

Film Review: Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

At last, the summer of superheroes has come to an end and with it the seemingly unending string of origin stories that set up the upcoming The Avengers (2012) movie.  Hollywood has given audiences some of the best comic-book adaptations it can offer this summer, such as X-Men: First Class (2011), and also the worst, like Green Lantern (2011).  Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) falls squarely in between, somewhere alongside Thor (2011) if not slightly better.  It has stronger emotional resonance, largely because of the main character’s everyman status and humility and also because it features one of the more compelling comic-book romances to date.  However, it cannot escape the drawbacks of telling an origin story, in particular an Avengers one.  In other words, when the credits roll (and especially after The Avengers teaser trailer at the end of the credits), you can’t help but feel you just watched half of a movie or simply an extended preview of the upcoming mega-blockbuster; in fact, its ending is comparable to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) and leaves you somewhat unsatisfied.

Nonetheless, Captain America is more fun than you would expect, given several mediocre-to-bad adaptations making audiences apathetic rather than fan-crazy about Hollywood’s next superhero flick.  It has a neat retro/futuristic-vibe, solid action sequences, though admittedly with diminishing return, and engaging performances that help develop a surprising bit of heart layered into the generally hokey nature of the character and film.  Overall, it is above average but nothing exceptional.  Furthermore, while it fails to emulate the greatness of its obvious inspiration from Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Star Wars, it has some great references to the classics and parts feel similarly entertaining.  In sum, it should exceed most viewers’ lowered expectations by providing them with a quality, albeit less-than-unforgettable, summer blockbuster that teeters to stand on its own as a compelling action period piece.