Film Junk Podcast Episode #363: The Hunger Games and The Raid: Redemption

Posted by on March 26th, 2012   Filed under: Featured, Film Junk Podcast

0:00 – Intro
4:15 – Review: The Hunger Games
49:40 – Review: The Raid: Redemption
1:11:00 – Headlines: 2012 Hot Docs Line-Up Announced, New Chevy Chase / Dan Aykroyd Comedy, Disney to Lose $200 Million on John Carter, Ninja Turtles to be Motion Captured?, Cosmopolis Trailer
1:35:15 – Other Stuff We Watched: Pleasantville, Act of Valor, The Muppets, The Deer Hunter, Letter Never Sent, The Sweatbox, The Announcement, ESPN 30 for 30, Game Change, The Running Man, Celebrity Apprentice
2:22:20 – Junk Mail: Modern Gladiator Movies, Missing Categories at the Oscars, Melancholia Snubbed at the Oscars, Movies Where the Supporting Actor is Better than the Lead, No New Content Nightmare, Who Would Win The Hunger Games?
2:37:00 – This Week’s DVD Releases
2:39:55 – Outro

Film Junk Podcast Episode #363: The Hunger Games and The Raid: Redemption by Filmjunk on Mixcloud

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  • Dave

    A very fair review of Hunger Games. But I think Sean is a little optimistic about thinking that Hunger Games will get kids to think about Orwell and 1984. To me, it just seems like kids nowadays are stuck inside of these modern book franchises and their movies without any interest in broadening their horizons with classic literature. Kinda like the Twilight idiots who call Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel garbage and hard to read. Believe me, they’re out there.

  • Kamen Liew

    A pretty fair review of The Raid, even though I do think that most of the things you guys didn’t like about the film were bordering on nitpicking. Even the criticisms overall sounded more like a back-handed compliment towards the film.

    Most of the slow-mo effects and shaky cam stuff (used to great effect to match the frenetic pace in the fridge gunfight scene) were gone by the time the martial arts happened. Most of the hand-to-hand stuff later on were shot with clear full-body wide-shots running in real-time. Its the cinematic equivalent to foreplay really, if we’re comparing this to a porno.

    In an attempt to reign in some of my fanboy-ism I would agree the look of the film is a little glum and desaturated (maybe that’s the point, given the source material) and some of the hand-to-hand stuff got a little too repetitive towards the end. If anything I had hoped that the film had retained more of the stakes and the intensity of the first 2 machete-fight setpieces, because those scenes were at its best when the odds were stacked up against the hero, which actually reminded me a little bit of Apocalypto with it’s awesome final act chase sequence. But that’s me nitpicking.

    Anyways, I’m just glad Jay liked it.

  • Beerdude

    Regarding the futuristic survival game show, I remember seeing a clip on TV from the movie “Le prix du danger”(1983) when it was released. But I newer saw the movie and for many years I thought that The Running Man was a remake of this. I still havent seen it as its very difficult to come by.

  • sansho1

    Have any of you seen Battle Royale? I’d be interested to hear anyone’s take on it who has also seen Hunger Games (which I haven’t yet). BR just came out on blu, and I highly recommend it for anyone who wished Hunger Games was bloodier, more nihilistic, more ridiculous, and had younger contestants.

  • I’ve seen Battle Royale 1, but not part 2 (which I hear is terrible). I was tempted to pick up the Blu-ray but I’m not really in any hurry to rewatch it.

  • Vicky_Dog

    The Raid was awesome… The movie was geared towards a specific audience and if you’re not apart of that audience group why watch it???
    It’s like saying if I don’t like pizza but I eat it anyways, what’s the point???

  • Kamen Liew

    @sansho1,

    If you’re a fan of Battle Royale, then Hunger Games will be a major disappointment for you as it was for me. Seriously, BR makes HG look like a bunch of primary school kids chasing each other on a playground.

    HG feels rushed yet feels slow, has poor character development and offers a build-up to the games that is mostly unsatisfying. And when the games began, it was even more unsatisfying! The action is so disappointing, and you could guess plot points from a mile away. Worse, they introduce a deus ex machina into the finale of the games that feels completely out of left field. I’m not sure if this was in the books, but if it was they should have changed it.

    And speaking of archetypes and shaky-cam. HG has tonnes of it. Oh my god it makes me angry. There’s a character in this film that is so one dimensional that it angers me how much screen time he gets. Then there’s the shaky-cam bullshit. Why oh why must we have shaky cam all the time during an intense fight scene. There’s no sense of geography, who has the upper-hand, who is holding what. And of course, when a villain has the hero in a compromising position, he or she must describe how they are going to kill them. Such cliché bullshit.

    HG has its moments, but too little and far from between. The only thing redeemable in this entire film is J. Law’s performance. She anchors the film and does it well, and her performance did more to inform me about Katniss’ personality rather than the script. It takes an amazing actress to outshine a role that is so poorly underwritten, and she deserves the accolades she’s getting for it.

  • Colin

    @Frank Here’s some Panini action for you: http://store.paniniamerica.net/entertainment/disney/toystory.html

  • So the news theme is forever gone now too?

  • We have been experimenting with dropping the segment themes and while it’s not yet set in stone, it does seems to be improving the flow of the podcast.

  • jonathan

    If it aint broke, don’t fix it Sean!

  • bard

    I like not having the music. I’ve never realized it because I was used to it, but after listening to this episode, I listened to a past episode, and the music is intrusive and just causes a delay to the content that I want.

    I think the changes have been good. Great episode, keep it up!

  • bard

    Did nobody watch Casa de mi Padre? I was hoping to hear what you guys thought.

  • Unfortunately it’s only playing in one theatre in Toronto right now.

  • Lenny

    Regarding the junk mail about distopian gladitorial movies. Check out Brian Trenchard-Smiths Escape 2000/Turkey Shoot. It’s a fun watch.

  • I can’t remember if it was mentioned but for dystopian gladiatorial entertainment, I recommend Death Race 2000 with David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone, if you like B-movies.

    http://youtu.be/Of1UF-qVc18

    Rollerball (original and remake) are also a couple of other options, although I’m not a big fan of either.

    Sean, at least keep the Junk mail theme.

  • Kasper

    I agree with MovieViewerMan – The Junk Mail theme has always been the best anyway.

  • James

    Gasman, please chill a bit with the boooring sports stuff. Lord have mercy.

  • Kasper

    People like James is exactly the reason why Balljunk needs to happen ASAP – WINK WINK NUDGE NUDGE

  • Bring back the jingles. They help break up the segments.

  • People it’s a freaking jingle, who cares? If your listening to Film Junk for the jingles you need professional help. The flow of the show is a lot better since you guys switched it up.

    Ps. Loved Jay’s review of the Hunger Games.

  • This review only reaffirms the fact that the only group of people Jay hates more than teenagers is teenage girls.

  • “Against war motives,” damn that’s good. Even better is Frank’s Pillsbury Doughboy follow-up laugh.

  • bard

    I love the sports stuff!

  • Greg

    @James: I promise to sports a little sports about sports. Sometimes a good sports sports is just the best sports on sports. I should broaden my sports with other sports of sports. I’m sure there’s sports of sports that I might sports. Thanks for wrestling!

  • As for suggestions for next week’s show how about William Defoe’s The Hunter. If it’s not in your theaters , it is out “there”.

  • BarBar

    Can’t remember if it was being used for televisual entertainment, but Punishment Park is well worth a look for dystopian fun and games…

  • @Cringe: I don’t think anyone said they are listening to Film Junk for the jingles. Point this out to me if I have missed it. For that matter, people don’t just listen to Film Junk for the reviews either. People are just offering opinions about the small details that make a podcast fun to listen to in addition to the great content.

    You can say that you prefer not to have the theme music and leave it at that. I would respect your opinion even though it might be different from my own. Instead, you try to belittle others in a vain attempt to add more weight and credibility to your own opinion. Kind of like a politician who has to resort to mudslinging and smear tactics because he’s not confident he’ll win without them.

    Professional help? Really? Should I also attempt an absurd diagnosis of your opinion, as you have with ours? OK. I’ll give it a shot. If all you want from Film Junk are the movie reviews with no theme music, then subscribe to the Braille version. <– That's a ridiculous statement, but no more than yours. How is that constructive?

    A couple weeks ago, Sean set up a poll asking for suggestions about the podcast. Now that we've heard a couple episodes with minor adjustments, listeners can suggest ways to fine tune it. That's all we're doing. Nobody needs a straight jacket.

    When there was a debate about whether to change over from a 4 star rating system to 5, I simply stated my preference and left it at that.

    In the end, I'm fine with whatever decisions Sean makes. My suggestions are just that, suggestions.

  • @Cringe Willem Dafoe

  • Bob

    I think one thing is clear with these relatively small changes Sean is making to the podcast – he’s exerting his power in order to prove that he would win the Hunger Games between he, Jay, Greg and Frank. Sean will not allow anyone to mess with him, no matter how meek and mild you may think he is.

  • MovieViewerMan,

    Sorry, the Ireland school system sucks.

  • sansho1

    Hey, I just saw Jay hit his funding target with mere hours to spare. Congrats — that was excruciating!

  • Sean, I know it’s different medium and all that, but if you liked The Running Man movie I recommend you check out the Stephen King book is based upon. It’s fantastic. The hero is not Schwarzennegger-like at all. He’s much more of an everyman. The book is a powerful indictment of the voyeurism and inhumane aspect of Reality TV (written in the early 80’s!)

    For more of that I would also recommend “15 Million Merits” which is the second episode of the brilliant British mini-series Black Mirror (all the episodes are stand-alone stories).

  • Yeah I had forgotten that The Running Man was based on a Stephen King book. I’ve actually been meaning to read a lot of Stephen King stuff, but I just never get around to it.

  • kyri

    one thing I didn’t get with HG is how the technology in the “arena” worked.. fireballs.. evildogs… if they are able to create stuff in such a way.. why didn’t they use that …magic. technology to create food and take care the poor?

    I wish jay didn’t fall asleep during it..

  • kyri

    by the way Sean… #363 on the title #362 on the title-image??? WTF man.
    :)

  • Oops.