The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

Mockingjay part 2 starts out a little slow, but ramps up and delivers a satisfying ending to the franchise that leaves no cliffhangers and plot lines that are "up to interpretation" which seems to be so popular these days.  Thank goodness.  I've invested quite a bit of time into this franchise over the past few weeks and that last thing I wanted was an open ending.  This final installment delivers in a variety of ways, solid acting, and just a nice wrap to the series.  I enjoyed my time overall with the franchise, and therefor, recommend. 

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

I'm going to guess Mockingjay was never intended to be split into two parts, but the Hollywood execs decided that 2 movies makes more money than one movie.  At 2 hours, this installment drags quite a bit, I left "Catching Fire" on a bit of a high for the series, but this one just leaves me with "well, I guess I have to see what happens".  It's an interesting enough film and presents you with some neat political perspective, of course I'm going to see how it all ends at this point, in fact, at the time of this writing, I already have!  Whoa!!!!  Recommend, on the basis that I know it at least ends well.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Well, I said I'd watch the sequels, and I did, well the first one anyways.  I liked this movie better than the original, I think it was a little shorter which helps, but you can't walk away feeling a little unsatisfied as this is just a huge setup for the 3rd and 4th films in the franchise.  I'm invested at this point and will catch the sequels sooner than later.  It's a teen dramaction movie, but I'm digging the universe now.  Viva la resistance! 

Gerald's Game

Netflix original films are something I had a hard time wrapping my head around.  Are they "real" movies?  After watching a few of them I gotta say, they're better than a lot of crap that make it to the big screen.  Gerald's game is an adaptation of a Stephen King short, and while I admit I'm a bit of a King fan (heck, I've even read more than a few of his books) it had no bearing on my approval of this movie.  I find King at his best when he's not writing about monsters and spooky things, but trials grounded in reality.  I'd take Delores Claiborne and Shawshank Redemption over Pet Cemetary any day of the week. Gerald's Game stays grounded throughout, actually, well, maybe, okay, let's just say that for sake of spoiling anything...and delivers an ending that wraps things up nicely.  There will be no Gerald's Game 2.  If you liked 127 Hours, I think you'll find something to like here.  Recommend.

Airplane

A classic I'd heard about and seen referenced a thousand times but had never seen.  The movie still holds up and is quite funny.  I remember my parents talking a lot about this movie, it's actually quite crude, I think many of the jokes went over their head (well my moms anyways).  It's worth the 90 minute run time.  Recommend.

Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 1

After wrapping up Seinfeld I watched the first season of Curb, it's good, different, but really good.  The episodes all seem to have the same theme, Larry says something dumb to someone random, who always pops up later in the episode putting him in an awkward spot  It's genuinely funny and I look forward to more seasons.  Recommend.

Seinfeld: Season 8 & 9

I've written before about how pointless it is to review these season's because they're all good, but I've come this far, I should finish what I started, but I'll combine the last two seasons into one post.  Season 8 and 9 are the two seasons where Jerry took complete control of the series after Larry David's exit.  They are different in tone, but that makes them unique.  The show became a lot "goofier" after David's exit, and while many say the show without David is not as good, there are some real classics here (and a few duds) that prove that Jerry is more than competent in carrying the show.  Notable episodes include: "The Yada Yada", "Muffin Tops", and "The Serenity Now".  A few I really disliked including "The Frogger" and "The Puerto Rican Day", but not enough to stay "pass".  The shows great, I was sad when it ended.  I'll watch is again and again and again yada yada yada, recommond.

The Hunger Games

The runtime of these movies always prevented me from watching them, but on an afternoon between night shifts I decided to give it a shot as it's one of those movies that's referenced so often.  This is a teen version of "The Running Man" and while more serious in tone, it' not necessarily better.  I managed to make it through the film with a few button presses to see how much longer I had to sit through (never a good sign) and while I can't say I hated it, I didn't particularly love it either.  It's just "okay".  The universe is interesting and I'll probably watch the sequels just because they're there.  Overall, pass.

Edit:  After watching the full series of Hunger Games films, I would now recommend this film if you're willing to invest in the franchise as a whole.