Just a Taste – HUNGER GAMES, AMERICAN REUNION, CABIN IN THE WOODS

Here’s my quick roundup from last Saturday’s triple feature:

The Hunger Games is still riding high at the box office. It was very wise of Suzanne Collins to write a book that brings together the best of Reality TV –  the savagery of Survivor, the mentoring of The Voice, the back biting of The Apprentice and the pageantry of Dancing with the Stars.

Food in Film: most of the Districts are starving in this Dystopian future, willing to eat crusts of bread used for feeding pigs.  However, once chosen, the Tributes are offered ample displays of food both savory and sweet. Feasting on banquet after banquet, leading up to game day.

Although I know millions of young adults are super into this book/movie franchise,  I still have trouble with the concept of children killing, and I mean massacring, other children. After all, our youth of today is plagued with violence in schools and no sense of respect and reverence for human life.  To have a movie topping the box office that promotes kill or be killed, seems irresponsible. Particularly, seeing as at the end, there’s little to no remorse, no consequences, and no end to the barbaric ritual. Of course that leaves the door open for Hunger Games II.

I’ve seen all the American Pie movies. Not sure why I get such a kick out of this cast of raunchy, nerdy teens turned raunchy, nerdy 30 year-olds.

Everyone comes back for American Reunion, even Oz (Chris Klien) who was missing from American Wedding.  But despite the full cast, including cameos by Shannon Elizabeth and the MILF guys, the whole thing falls flat. Writer Adam Herz just couldn’t’ seem to find that spark of silly humor this time around.  Even the awkward sex talks between Jim (Jason Biggs) and his Dad (Eugene Levy) lack their usual bushy browed blunt rhythm and embarrassed, squirming pacing.

When Lionsgate bought the The Cabin in the Woods (shot in 2009) from bankrupt MGM, I’m sure they couldn’t have realized it would share a theme in common with this year’s blockbuster, The Hunger Games, but seeing them back to back the way I did, it was impossible to miss. **Spoiler Alert**  Each movie features a team of people whose job it is to manipulate the lives of chosen young people, by creating scenarios using technology in order to use them as sacrifices.  I think that’s uncanny, especially considering neither movie is classified as Sci-fi per se.

At any rate, Joss Whedon completely put his stamp on this original, new slant on a old tried and true concept. I screamed, laughed and was once again reminded, December 21, 2012 is coming fast.