[TimovieMan]

Young Adult - 3.5 / 5

Another quality movie by Jason Reitman. Teaming up with Diablo Cody again (Juno) was a good idea because her dialogues are really good. Charlize Theron is brilliant in this, and the movie itself is very funny. In fact, it kinda reminded me a bit of Clueless, but instead of being naive-funny, this one is more awkward-funny. But it works.
This is the fourth consecutive time I've given 3.5 or more (Thank You For Smoking! was a 4) to a Reitman film. That's a great average, imo. Already looking forward to his next movie.



The Hunger Games - 3 / 5

A pleasant surprise: The Hunger Games is definitely less braindead than the Twilight series. I'm not all that interested in the books, I've been interested in the film for a while now. Despite the fact that everything in this movie is toned down to suit its teen demographic (there's very little to be squeamish about - even if it is about teens killing each other), The Hunger Games are at least able to maintain some of the social criticism in it (the District 11 uprising was the high point of the film, imo). Plus the acting is good: Jennifer Lawrence is the biggest talent in the new generation of actors (Winter's Bone anyone?), Hutcherson is clearly trying to sustain his career, Wes Bentley had a lot of fun, and Woody Harrelson always IS fun to watch.
The biggest downfall of the film, however, is that you can't watch it without comparing it to Battle Royale. And this film simply can't take that comparison - Battle Royale is of far greater quality and blows this one straight out of the water.