Warm Bodies (2013)

Every time I think of you...

First, I love zombie flicks and have watched a good number of them.  So when I heard about a story where a zombie and a girl fall in love and then he becomes human, I was interested, to say the least.  The premise is intriguing, even original.  The introduction gave me hope that this would be one of my next favorite movies. Sadly, the rest of the film fails to live up the promise shown in the first five minutes.  I was hoping for something more on the level of Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland, or Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, but got stuck with another sappy romantic comedy that wasn't very funny. 

With only 2 out of 5 Poblanos Warm Bodies failed to get my heart pumping...

Director: Jonathan Levine (50/50)
Writer: Jonathan Levine (screenplay), Isaac Marion (novel)
Starring:  Nicholas Hoult (X-Men First Class), Teresa Palmer (I Am Number Four, The Sorcerer's Apprentice), John Malkovich
Rotten Tomatoes: 81%
Metacritic: 59 out of 100

The Hunger Games (2012)

First, please read my book review to get the gist of the plot.  Having read the books, I was pleased with, but not overexcited about this film.  It was a good exploration of the book's ideas, but the book is so much better.  Nothing against the film, because I enjoyed it a lot but it is hard see a film based on a book that I love and not pick it apart ('they left this scene out' or 'hey, that didn't match the book').  Also, the jerky camera work was a bit distracting.  In general I don't enjoy that technique.  I can understand when people are running through the woods, but not when they're standing still.  But all in all, I enjoyed this film.


The Hunger Games film can't compete with the book, but still gets 3 out of 5 Poblanos!

Director: Gary Ross (writer of Big,  Seabiscuit)
Writer: Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins, Billy Ray
Starring:  Jennifer Lawrence (X-Men: First Class, Winter's Bone), Josh Hutcherson (Zathura: A Space Adventure, Bridge to Terabithia), Liam Hemsworth,
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Metacritic: 67 out of 100