MTV Movie Awards Nominations Announced!....And the Academy Might Have Worked!

Way to go MTV you regulated Twilight to limited categories!  With no nominations for Stewart, Pattinson, and Lautner, I will tune in this year.  

The Hunger Games leads the nominations with 8.  Bridesmaids follows closely with 7 nominations, and  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2received the third highest total with with 6 nominations.

So did MTV do what they set out to do when they said they wanted to change things? I would say yes, this list of nominations reminds me of this shows nominations from the past.  There is a balance between quality and what the viewers want to see.

Below is the complete list of nominees, and who I think will win.  What are your thoughts on the nominees?  Post in my comments section.

MOVIE OF THE YEAR:

Bridesmaids
The Hunger GamesHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
The Help
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1

Prediction:The Hunger Games vs. Harry Potter

BEST MALE PERFORMANCE:

Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Ryan Gosling, Drive
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 50/50
Josh Hutcherson, The Hunger Games
Channing Tatum, The Vow

Prediction: Daniel Radcliffe

BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE:

Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games
Kristin Wiig, Bridesmaids
Emma Stone, Crazy, Stupid Love
Emma Watson, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Prediction: Jennifer Lawrence

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE:

Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Zach Galifianakis, The Hangover Part II
Jonah Hill, 21 Jump Street
Oliver Cooper, Project X

Prediction: Melissa McCarthy

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE:

Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Liam Hemsworth, The Hunger Games
Elle Fanning, Super 8
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

Prediction: Rooney Mara-The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

BEST CAST:

Bridesmaids
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
The Hunger Games
21 Jump Street
The Help

Prediction: Bridesmaids

BEST ON-SCREEN TRANSFORMATION:

Elizabeth Banks, The Hunger Games
Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Johnny Depp, 21 Jump Street
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn
Colin Farrell, Horrible Bosses

Prediction: Johnny Depp (but who cares)

BEST FIGHT:

Daniel Radcliffe vs. Ralph Fiennes, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson vs. Alexander Ludwig,The Hunger Games
Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill vs. Kid Gang, 21 Jump Street
Tom Hardy vs. Joel Edgerton, Warrior
Tom Cruise vs. Michelle Nyqvist, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Prediction: The Hunger Games

BEST KISS:

Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, Crazy, Stupid, Love
Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, The Hunger Games
Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum, The Vow
Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1

Prediction: Rupert Grint and Emma Watson

BEST GUT-WRENCHING PERFORMANCE:

Bridesmaids (Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McClendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper)
The Help (Bryce Dallas Howard)
21 Jump Street (Jonah Hill and Rob Riggle)
Drive (Ryan Gosling)
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (Tom Cruise)

Prediction: Bridesmaids

BEST ON SCREEN DIRT-BAG:

Bryce Dallas Howard, The Help
Jon Hamm, Bridesmaids
Jennifer Aniston, Horrible Bosses
Colin Farrell, Horrible Bosses
Oliver Cooper, Project X

 Prediction: Jennifer Anniston

BEST MUSIC:

Party Rock Anthem, LMFAO (21 Jump Street)
A Real Hero, College with Electric Youth (Drive)
The Devil Is in the Details, Chemical Brothers (Hanna)
Impossible, Figurine (Like Crazy)
Pursuit of Happiness, Kid Cudi (Steve Aoki remix) (Project X)

Prediction: Project X

Gary Ross creates a Fast Paced Battleground Where Young Children are Forced to Battle to the Death the Hunger Games

The Hunger Games (3 1/2 out of 5 Stars)

Directed by Gary Ross (Seabiscuit, Pleasantville, Dave)

Written by Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins, and Billy Ray

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Lenny Kravitz, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, and Woody Harrelson

On September 14th 2008 author (and soon to be screenwriter) Suzanne Collins released her novel The Hunger Games about a society broken down into districts.  Within this society once a year each district sends two tributes, one male and one female to the Capitol where they will compete against one another to the death until one tribute is left standing.  The Games happen because once upon a time there was a District 13 that led a rebellion, which failed, and in order to remind the districts who was in charge the Capitol created the Hunger. Games for this and entertainment purposes.

The film focuses on Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) from District 12, the coal mining district.  Katniss has her family including her mother and her  younger sister she lovingly refers to as Prim.  Katniss is the sole provider for her family because her father was killed in an explosion in a mine shaft.  Katniss also has her best friend Gale (Liam Hemsworth).  

The film starts on the day known as the reaping in District twelve, where Effie (Elizabeth Banks) who is an elaborately and differently dressed woman is there from the Capitol to select the boy and girl who will be picked as the tributes for this district.  The film does not explain the selection process as in detail as it should, but your age increases the amount of times your name is placed within the bowl.  Prim is the girl selected from District 12, but her sister Katniss volunteers in her place.  The boy chosen for the district is Peeta Melark (Josh Hutcherson).  The two are going to be mentored by Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) the only past winner from their district.  

While the film is about the actual games, the film does not place the two tributes into the mix of the fight until about halfway through the film.  Ross does a good job with his direction there is a lot of great camera work, and even though some may think he works too quickly, I think the pacing he sets for the film allows this to be an incredibly well made movie.  Ross's work on the screenplay along with the books author Suzanne Collins allows for the film to be more faithful to the novel within a 2 1/2 hour window of time.  Even without constant action the film does a great job telling a good story.

Like with any book to film adaptation there are some changes in the film.  One of the major changes is how Katniss gets the Mockingjay pin.  I think this may have been a bigger mistake, but with Collins helping in the screenwriting I am less concerned. I wish the film did a better job exploring the tributes from the the other districts.  Viewers of the film who did not read the book may be confused about the different more prominent tributes, or the districts they represent.  I would like to have learned more about the other tributes, in fact they did mention one of the more key tributes nick named Fox Face until the end of the film.  This is a concept that is important in establishing the future concepts within the other novels.

The film and the book center around a larger social issues, the first film like the book does not get into the greater details.  Ross aptly handled social issues within the film Pleasantville, and like within the first book this film lays the foundational context for unrest.    As the viewer you see the Capitol is an evil bastion that attempts to control those outside of their world.  In the film Donald Sutherland's President Snow (who is the first film much more than in the first book) lays the foundation for the dark agenda of the Capitol.  I hope as the film series continues to explore the deeper context of the books, and the role each district plays rather than just quickly talking about them.

I also hope the book uses the solid acting to help make these films more watchable than most of the more recent book adaptations. The acting is top notch, Lawrence is always compelling, and she does a great job as Katniss; she sells every emotion.  Woody Harrelson who plays Haymitch was another standout performer, and like Katniss Haymitch is one of the great characters in this film. 

With any book to film adaptation there is always room for improvement, and there can always be some complaints, but this is a solid well made film.  Even with its flaws succeeds.  Many people will compare this film series to the Twilight saga, but there is no comparison.  Each film is its own, and I have to say this film succeeds in every place the other does not.  I was glued to my seat for the entire time, and drawn into the film, and as the credits rolled I was able to walk away feeling satisfied with the end result.

March Must See Movies and Movies to Skip

As the post Academy Award drought begins March has many promising films that could be entertaining.  During the months of January and February I looked forward to catching up on smaller films, and begrudgingly suffering through films like The Woman in Black with friends.  I can honestly say there are some decent prospects this month.

March 2nd

The Lorax

Project X

Being Flynn

The most promising release for this week is The Lorax, which is from the creators of Despicable Me.  This Dr. Seuss tale will be a big hit at the box office drawing in drones of families, but will it be worth your time?  I am not excited by this film, but I do think it could be solid.  X looks like its trying to hard to a teenage rip off of The Hangover.  With poor marketing this film will do poorly and sink slowly.  Being Flynn is another DeNiro vehicle that seems to have being angry and yelling.  While the preview is not bad this looks to be a waste of everyone's time.

March 9th

John Carter

Salmon Fishing in Yemen

Friends with Kids

A Thousand Words

Silent House

John Carter always seems to have people baffled while watching the preview.  Everyone I know asks who is John Carter, and not with intrigue, more with a sense of who cares.  I predict this film to be a mess and a box office flop.  I saw Salmon Fishing and I liked the film, I did not love it.  I think this will hit a small population, the film is charming but will not draw large crowds-worth seeing.  Friends with Kids looks hilarious, more like a sitcom, but but worth watching on the big screen.  Eddie Murphy's latest film looks like a waste of time and money.  Silent House looks like the thing thrillers are meant to be made of and Elizabeth Olsen is a great find!

March 16th 

21 Jump Street

Casa de Mi Padre

If you do mind movies that are both stupid and funny go see 21 Jump Street, it was pretty hilarious.  Casa looks like another Will Ferrell movie I will try and avoid, while I do not hate him I think his schtick is getting tired the same way it has done with Adam Sandler.  Time to grow up and find a new modus operandi. 

March 23rd

The Hunger Games

No one wanted to compete with the film that outsold Twilight.  I read the first book, and liked it.  I think the film looks solid, and it has a great cast and great director.  I do not want it become the next Twilight where it was rushed to the big screen to make money.  Even though Twilight was always going to be a terrible film series.

March 30th 

Wrath of the Titans

Mirror Mirror

Bully

Was a sequel needed for Clash of the Titans?  I do not remember the first film being that successful.  The sequel looks awful.  Mirror Mirror looks campy, and not in a good way, what happened Julia?  I have to put Bully on this, this is a documentary about a young boy who was bullied, not because of his orientation, but because he was different and highlight his parents crusade to help others.  This looks fantastic.

Must See Movies: Bully, The Hunger Games, The Lorax, 21 Jump Street,  Silent House

Movies to Skip:A Thousand Words, Wrath of the Titans, Mirror Mirror, John Carter, Project X