Movie Micro-Reviews Edition 99

Elysium	72	Another sci-fi movie that doesn’t seem to worry about the feasibility of the tech.  But beyond that, it does a good job of commenting on the direction of the world, and Matt Damon’s character definitely works.  Jodie Foster’s turn as an antagonist is quite well done.  I hope we see her do more of this.  Pretty violent, though – be warned!
Mists of Avalon	63	A TV miniseries version of a book I really liked.  They focused on Morgana, which made sense for the amount of time they had.  OK version, but don’t watch it if you think you might ever read the book.  Read the book first.
Snow White and the Huntsman	67	This was better than most people said it was. Filled with imagery and atmosphere.  Some very clever fantasy elements.  The dark magic looked really dark.
Cloud Atlas	80 72	Revised rating because the more I watch this, the more I see, and the more I like.  Great message.  Stories well tied together.  I think the low expectations when I first saw it actually affected  my perceptions negatively. ------ Initial ----- I had low expectations, and the film clearly exceeded them.  I will own this – I have to watch it a couple more times to tie some things together.  Long, but worth it.
Jack the Giant Slayer	62	So we take the fairy tale, we add a princess, a bunch more giants, and a fun part for Ewan MacGregor and we have a decent movie.
Pitch Perfect	71	A cappella  music competition.  Sarah knew I’d like it.  I did.  Sure, there’s some humor targeting the college crowd, so it’s not for kids, but Anna Kendrick’s character was well done. And there were college guys who actually seemed realistic.  A couple, anyway.
Hunger Games	81 71	Another movie which gets better with more viewings – and with reading the book.  Increasing my rating as I see more and more metaphor.  This is no “good guys always win” story. ---- Considering the subject matter – children killing children – it was remarkable how accessible this was.  I am willing to give dystopia stories some latitude, and Jennifer Lawrence’s performance as Katniss Everdeen helped.  She’s a good young actress.
Kick-Ass 2	70	Some of the violence was more disturbing than in the first film.  However, this sequel dealt extensively with Hit Girl, and that part was great.  A strange blend of realism with fantasy.  But don’t see it unless you are willing to stomach severe violence.