The Hunter Games

Cover of The Hunger Games

By E. A Solinas
Every year, twenty-four teenage "tributes" are brought to the Capitol of Panem, and sent out into the arena to kill each other on live TV. Only one will survive.

This chilling premise is at the center of "The Hunter Games," a brilliant, powerful movie adapted from the first book of Suzanne Collins' bestselling trilogy. It's a slow-burning thriller twined with some barbed satire (reality TV!) and an oppressive government -- but at heart, it's an uplifting story about a young woman fighting to be free.

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) lives in the impoverished District 12, hunting food to provide for her mother and her beloved little sister Prim (Willow Shields). But on the day of the reaping, Prim is selected. And Katniss does something no one else has done -- she volunteers to go instead. Along with the male tribute, Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), she is swept away to the Capitol.

Once there, the tributes are pampered, tutored, styled and turned into celebrities -- until they're released into the arena, and start killing each other to survive. Katniss must evade murderous gangs, traps, and genetically engineered beasts.

But because Peeta publicly declared his love for Katniss, the audience has taken a shine to the impoverished young "lovers" and are rooting for them to triumph. But if both Katniss and Peeta are to survive, they must learn how to play the game that the gamemakers and polticians are playing -- and use the Hunger Games against them.

I'm not sure why so many people compare "The Hunger Games" to the Twilight movies, because it literally has everything that "Twilight" does not. It has plenty of action, adventure, a subtle romance, and some barbed social commentary -- and it has a raw, passionate quality that easily matches its strong-willed heroine.

The movie also shows us what a rotten place Panem is, whether it's the sleek, colorful superficiality of the Capitol or the faded squalor of District 12. But "Hunger Games" is at its best when it's in the forests of the arena -- there's a primal, wild quality to Katniss' adventures there, tempered with tenderer moments (such as when she cares for the gravely wounded Peeta).

photo: amazon.com

The romance with Peeta is also refreshingly uncliched, leaving the audience unsure of how much of their love was for the audience's benefit (although we glimpse some flickers of real love between them). The biggest problems are that a lot of the violence seems rather toned down, and the shakycam becomes rather annoying at times.

But Jennifer Lawrence does an excellent job bringing Katniss to life, imbuing her with strength, fear, brains and a fiery temper -- exactly what the "girl on fire" needs to have. Josh Hutcherson is equally good as Peeta, and there are a string of great performances by Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Lenny Kravitz, Elizabeth Banks and Amandla Stenberg. There's a lot of passion in even the minor actors' performances.

"The Hunger Games" successfully mingles dystopian sci-fi, romance and a tale of rebellion, giving us a brilliantly raw, passionate movie. A must-see.
Source: http://astore.amazon.com/amazonvideosondemand-20/detail/B008602KQI

Movie Bytes : The Hunger Games Movie 2012: Beyond The Trailer

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the evil Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which "Tributes" must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she's ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love. The Hunger Games comes to movie theaters in 2012! Which actress will play Katniss Everdeen? Jennifer Lawrence, Hailee Steinfeld or Abigail Breslin? Gary Ross is directing Suzanne Collins hot The Hunger Games trilogy which brings The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay to the silver screen! Movie Bytes is a closer look at the latest movie news, brought to you by host Grace Randolph! Beyond The Trailer is distributed by Indy Mogul and Next New Networks!
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NCIS, Season 9 - Network Television's Highest Ranked Drama

VALENCIA, CA - JANUARY 03: (L-R) Actors Brian Dietzen, David McCallum, Pauley Perrette, Mark Harmon, Sean Murray (backrow)Cote de Pablo and Michael Weatherly pose at CBS' 'NCIS' celebration of thier 200th episode on January 3, 2012 in Valencia, California. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

"NCIS" returns for a ninth season as network television's highest ranked drama, featuring its terrific blend of criminal case-of-the-week excitement and the equally entertaining interaction among the members of a well-chosen cast. Mark Harmon returns as crusty Senior Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, still feuding with his boss, the Director of NCIS, and still closely managing his team, who he treats as a second family.
 NCIS, Season 9

photo: amazon.com

As the new season opens, Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), on special assignment for a new "Sec-Nav", searches for a supposed traitor within the ranks of NCIS. Tony barely survives the assignment, leaving behind an unsolved mystery and doubts about the relationship between the new Secretary of the Navy and Director Vance (Rocky Carroll). The mystery, and Tony's assailant, will eventually resurface, while the assignment will haunt Tony, causing him to reexamine his career and life (and yes, his relationship with Ziva). Gibbs will have his own appointment with destiny later in the season. An extended story arc in late season ends with a thrilling finale and team members in mortal danger.

As in previous seasons, the spotlight rotates among the agents from show to show, in some cases filling in missing backstory. Lilly Tomlin has an hilarious guest appearence as Agent McGee's (Sean Murray) grandmother, to whom the Sixties were very good. Goth chick forensics expert Abby Sciuto (Pauley Parrette) learns that what she thinks she knows about her family might not be true. Medical examiner "Ducky" Mallard (David McCallum) tries online dating, while Agent Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) is reconfirmed in the importance of her new family at NCIS. Jamie Lee Curtis has an extended guest stint as an expert in psycological warfare, who chooses to practice on Gibbs. In one hilarious episode, the agents collaborate with fiesty red-headed Coast Guard investigator Abigail Borin (an excellent Diane Neal) to find the perfect woman for Gibbs; the comedy arises partly from the fact that Borin is Gibbs' female doppelganger, and partly from the end result of the search.

"NCIS: Season Nine" is highly recommended to the many fans of the series.

NCIS Season 9 Premiere Promo/Trailer 1080p HD

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Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol Directed by Brad Bird

I won't be cliche and tell you that your mission, should you choose to accept it... You know the rest.

Without a doubt, this is the best of all the Mission Impossible movies, including the original. Over the years, the MI franchise had become something of a cartoon of itself. So, it seemed appropriate that Brad Bird should be chosen to helm MI4 Ghost Protocol. As the Oscar winning director of the Incredibles, he made animated cartoons seem very real. Now, he's made Mission Impossible real again. He's injected a fresh breathe of confidence, humor and camaraderie into a series that sorely needed it. He's not only re-invigorated the franchise, he's re-invigorated Tom Cruise's career as an action star. With this movie, Tom is back on top.

You'll notice that there is a lot of the Incredibles in MI4 Ghost Protocol. That's not only because of Brad Bird's influence, but because the Incredibles was a humorous homage to action films. You could say it's the IMF meets the Incredibles. That is not a deterrent. It's a tribute to a director who can think outside the proverbial action box. This isn't the same old, same old. The movie is much more upbeat and doesn't take itself too seriously. Which works to its advantage.

Tom Cruise has never been better. This isn't the brooding Ethan Hunt of previous movies. He's a man on a mission. pardon the pun. To make a complicated story short, the IMF has been shut down and disavowed after a massive explosion at the Kremlin. That explosion is blamed on the IMF. But, it was nothing more than a diversion to steal a nuclear detonator by a terrorist hell bent on ensuring peace on Earth by starting a nuclear war between the super powers. It's up to Ethan, and his cobbled together disavowed team, to hunt down the nuclear terrorist and save the world. simple.

Once you have suspended disbelief, sit back and enjoy. The cast is uniformly excellent. Jeremy Renner plays an IMF analyst suit (with more than desk skills at his disposal) reluctantly recruited into the field. Paula Patton is the former team leader of a mission gone bad sent to rescue Hunt. Simon Pegg is back as Benji, the computer/technology genius. While it may seem like he's there just for comic relief, he is an integral part of the team. There are no dull moments. The movie has a quick pace, fun one liners and mind blowing special effects filmed in glorious IMAX. Paula Patton and Jeremy Renner both have sensational action sequences. Tom Cruise isn't the only actor who gets to jump off buildings. And if this movie is any indication, Jeremy Renner is going to make a fantastic Jason Bourne. This wasn't a vehicle for just Tom. Everyone gets a piece of the action. It's a true throw back to the original TV series.

and wait until you see the car. James Bond would trade in his Aston Martin for it.
 Source: http://astore.amazon.com/amazonvideosondemand-20/detail/B007UXSPK2

Mission Impossible 4 - Ghost Protocol - Official Trailer