By Allison, Grade 10
The Hunger Games
Here is one of my favorite Jennifer Lawrence movies, “The Hunger Games” which was released back in March 2012 (Gary Ross, movie Director). The movie was very captivating for me, just like the original novel written by Suzanne Collins. To give you a brief summary of the storeline, it is about a society somewhere in North America that clearly distinguishes people between the rich/powerful and poor/simple. It was driven by a society that provided false hopes (no one wins). Those who held power in The Capitol could do whatever they wanted and they made it look normal. Everyone knows The Capitol is a technologically advanced city for the powerful and everyone else was pushed to live in one of the surrounding 13 districts. Each year, The District would invite two volunteers from each district to compete in The Capitol’s annual Hunger Games. Believe me, these are not the typical Olympic games. It is more like Squid Games (games that kill, another favorite Korean episode of mine) and your only hope is to survive to flight one more day. Jennifer Lawrence must have gotten her stardom from playing Katniss in this movie because I thought she was so perfect. I think the main reason why I liked this movie was because Katniss symbolizes hope. You don’t need to be a superhero to have hope and Katniss was no superhero. In fact, she was a girl with a strong will to survive and to do what she believed in her heart to be the right thing. Whenever I feel stressed out from school, I don’t give up as well and I think about where to find hope to keep me moving forward. The visual effects were very stunning and grabbing, the storyline was compelling, and the excitement kept on going. I highly recommend you watch this first series of “The Hunger Games'' trilogy.
Pitch Perfect
I used to think musicals were about stage production, but I came across this movie where the story line was centered around competitive a cappella singers. “Pitch Perfect” was released in September 2012 (directed by Jason Moore). It was more than ten years, and this movie remains one of the best movies with incredible a cappella voices. It is also a comedy with many hilarious moments. There is one girl who calls herself Fat Amy and she is full of humor and confidence. That is a confidence booster for me and others to know talent comes in all shapes
and sizes. The main person is a college girl named Beca who has always dreamed of being a DJ in the music industry, however, she made a deal with her dad that she would give college a try and if she still hates it then he will fund her way to LA. Beca has a hidden talent for singing and it was discovered by one of the a cappella group members. When I think more about this story, the main theme points to “trust”. When the a cappella girls lose a competition, everyone starts to argue and give up. In other words, trust is lost. Of course, this deeper message can be associated with building trusting friendships. Like most stories, it takes a tragedy for the people to realize what they have. I might have watched this movie at least two times and replayed many scenes on YouTube. One thing I am sure about is that when the girls were having fun (not about winning or losing) everyone was singing in harmony. They trusted each other in the song selections and personalities. That is one of the reasons why I loved it. It is one of the best a cappella movies I watched, so I highly recommend it.
Matilda
Have you heard people say read the book before you see the movie so you can appreciate the story telling when you watch it? There is some truth to that statement. Here is a book that I read named “Matilda”. It is a children’s book written in 1988 by Roald Dahl, a British writer. The story is about a 5-year-old very intelligent young girl with telekinetic powers. She is the opposite of her parents, so different that you might think she was adopted. The worst part is that her parents don’t appreciate that she loves to read and, instead, considered it an embarrassment. When I first read this section, my mind was thinking about ‘Harry Potter’ and how he had to live with his aunt and uncle. He was mistreated, forced to sleep in a space under the stairs. In ‘Matilda’, she was forced to sleep in the attic. It is interesting how that would sound like child abuse now a days. I do think the author wanted the reader to understand how much more enduring Matilda had to be both in school and at home. There was no safe zone and I think some kids can relate to that. When you read “Matilda”, pay close attention when she tells the librarian about a very suspenseful story about an entertainer and his loving wife, the acrobat. The acrobat is famous for performing many dangerous acts with ropes and chains. When the acrobat became pregnant, the husband asked to cancel the dangerous act, but the acrobat’s sister rejected, citing the contract cannot be broken. You might be wondering where Matilda got that story. Read the book to find out. As final thought, I was a 5-year-old girl but I don’t think I was as clever as she was. I remember that I loved to read books and I can relate how I could be lost in my book and to forget about the world around me. I am fortunate to have loving parents. Matilda found her safe place outside of the home. I highly recommend you read this book and share your opinion as well.
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