The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games (2012)
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth
Based on the novel by: Suzanne Collins
Written and Directed by: Gary Ross
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Grade: A++
In a dystopian future, the totalitarian nation of Panem is divided between 12 districts and the Capitol. Each year two young teenagers from each district are selected by chance to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal retribution for a past rebellion, the televised games are broadcast throughout Panem. The 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors while the citizens of Panem are required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen's (Lawrence) young sister, Prim (Willow Shields), is selected as District 12's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart Peeta Mellark (Hutcherson), are pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives. Also stars Hemsworth as Katniss's best friend Gale, Elizabeth Banks as the extremely make-up-ed Effie Trinket, Amandla Stenberg as Katniss's ill fated ally Rue, Stanley Tucci as the blue-haired futuristic version of Ryan Seacrest named Caesar Flickerman, and Woody Harrelson in a brilliant performance as Katniss and Peeta's alcoholic mentor Haymitch Abernathy. Overall, a great, exciting movie and one of the best book-to-movie adaptations ever. Definitely worth watching! (or in my case going to the midnight premiere and waiting for 9 hours)

X-Men: First Class

X-Men: First Class (2011)
Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Jennifer Lawrence
Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
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Grade: A++

I love all of the X-Men movies. It's one of my favorite trilogies of all time. This is the best one of all. Not only that, it's the best movie I've seen this year (tied with Battle: LA and Super 8). Charles Xavier (McAvoy), before he becomes Professor X, is a normal guy on the outside, but what no one sees is that he's a mutant. He can not only read other people's minds but can see what has happened to them. Raven (Lawrence), before she was Mystique, was Charles' childhood friend. They meet Erik Lehnsherr (Fassbender), before he becomes Magneto. A friendship begins to form between Charles and Erik as they search for other mutants using a device called Cerebro invented by Hank McCoy (played by Nicholas Hoult), who will later become Beast. They find Angel (played by Zoe Kravitz), Darwin (played by Edi Gathegi), Banshee (played by Caleb Jones), and, my favorite, Havok (played by Lucas Till). Together, they set out to stop Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon), who is trying to start WWIII. Kevin Bacon plays a good bad guy, as does January Jones (she's awesome.) Michael Fassbender is great. Jennifer Lawrence is wonderful, as usual. James McAvoy is the scene stealer in this movie, even outdoing Patrick Stuart.

Winter's Bone

Winter's Bone (2010)
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, and Garret Dillahunt
Directed by: Debra Granik
Grade: A+

This is a very dark movie about a girl searching for her father...not a happy one, by any means. The girl in question is Ree, who is played to perfection by Jennifer Lawrence. The only thing I had ever seen her in was The Bill Engvall Show, where she was the typical spoiled teenager. I had no idea she had such acting ability. But she does, and she really deserved her Oscar nomination. Ree is searching for her drug addict father, who put their house up for his bond. She has to go through all of her family's horrible relatives, all of which won't tell her anything about her father's whereabouts. After she is able to finally figure out where he is (after several beatings), it's very surprising where he's been hiding...just gonna say that.