Movie Buzz: 3/30

This week The Hunger Games took number one at the box office, grossing $152.5M.  21 Jump Street came in second grossing $20.4M and Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax fell to the #3 spot taking in $13.1M.  Three movies were released last week. Let’s see how they did and if they are worth the money![1]

Note: We only review films in wide release.  

The Hunger Games –PG-13 What’s the Buzz?

The Hunger Games takes place in the future where North America has collapsed due to war and famine and is now known as Panem. Every year the Capitol hosts a show called the Hunger games, where one boy and one girl from each of the twelve districts must fight to the death as punishment for a rebellion against the Capitol that took place 74 years ago. The winner is the last one to survive. When Primrose Everdeen is chosen as District Twelve’s tribute, her sister Katniss (played by Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart, Peeta Mellark (played by Josh Hutcherson) are taken to the capitol to compete against other tributes, some who have trained their whole lives for it. The film seems to be a hit with both consumers and the critics. Peter Traver’s of Rolling Stone says “The screen Hunger Games radiates a hot, jumpy energy that’s irresistible. It has epic spectacle, yearning romance, suspense that won’t quit and a shining star in Jennifer Lawrence, who gives us a female warrior worth cheering.”[2]

So is it worth the money? Yes!

•  Box office rank: #1
•  Film Critics Say: Metacritic- 67 (Positive)
•  Rotten Tomatoes: 85% (Fresh)
• Consumers Say: Metacritic- 7.4 (Positive)
• Rotten Tomatoes: 87%  (Fresh)

The Raid: Redemption—R –What’s the Buzz?

An elite squad go to an apartment block with hope to arrest its owner, a crime lord, who has created a safe haven for criminals to live in. Unfortunately they are spotted and must complete their task (and their only way to survive) by fighting through every room in the building.  The Los Angeles Times calls it a “slam-bang, knock-your-socks-off action bonanza with some of the most peerlessly shot, performed and choreographed fight sequences you’re likely to see on screen” and a film “that fans of high-octane filmmaking should not miss.”[3]

So is it worth the money? Yes!

• Box office rank: #26
• Film Critics Say: Metacritic- 71 (Positive)
• Rotten Tomatoes: 87% (Fresh)
• Consumers Say: Metacritic- 8.0 (Positive)
• Rotten Tomatoes: 84% (Fresh)

October Baby—PG-13 What’s the Buzz?

So is it worth the money? No!

October Baby is about a college student called Hannah, who collapses on stage. After many tests doctors say her problems come from a traumatic birth. She finds out that she was adopted after she survived a failed abortion attempt. Hannah decides to join her friends on a road trip and hopes to discover more about her past on the way. Film critics seem to not like it. Roger Ebert describes it as “amateurish and ungainly, can’t find a consistent tone, is too long, is overladen with music that tries to paraphrase the story and is photographed with too many beauty shots that slow the progress.”[4] Audiences however seem to have mixed feelings on it.

•  Box office rank: #26
•  Film Critics Say: Metacritic- 34 (Mixed)
•  Rotten Tomatoes: 24% (Rotten)
• Consumers Say: Metacritic- TBD
• Rotten Tomatoes: 69%

 What’s opening in theaters this weekend?

Mirror Mirror (latest review results—Critics 54% Consumers 89% Rotten Tomatoes)

Wrath of the Titans (latest review results—Critics 29% Consumers 92% Rotten Tomatoes)

Tags: box office, Film Reviews, The Hunger Games