Chimpanzee is a documentary film released by Disney. It was directed by renowned BBC nature film creators Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield. Only true specialists in this genre could have created such a sad yet inspiring and touching movie. This film features Oscar, a helplessly cute chimpanzee who has all sorts of adventures as an infant and small child chimp. Through the course of these adventures, his community is forced out of its habitat by another band of hungry chimps. The ambush is not without casualties and Oscar’s mother, who is still nursing, dies. At that point, Oscar loses weight and we gain empathy for him as we view firsthand how tough it is to survive as a child monkey in the wild. All hope seems lost for Oscar when the Alpha male of the groups “adopts” Oscar and fills a surrogate mother role.
This movie is a wonderful cinematic treat from beginning to end. We are shown panoramic views of forest waterfalls and several other breathtaking scenery. But that is just the backdrop for what this movie provides us. While we are entertained by a band of chimps learning how to use rocks as tools to open nuts, and other day to day activities, we learn about the life of these creatures. I kept thinking about how similar they are to us humans. While the chimps may not be waiting in line at their jungle medical group for an annual thyroid test, they are good at self-preservation in other ways. They overcome their own frailty living proudly and robustly. Whether it is how Oscar nurses or how Freddie, the Alpha male who adopts him, takes the grooming role for a younger male, I was moved by the activity captured on film. It reminded me of a simpler life where getting food is a daily challenge and yet no one in the community needs antidepressants. I think we have a lot to learn from out chimp friends. This movie will keep the attention of younger children while still entertaining the adults. It is a gem of a documentary in the spirit of “Oceans” or “Big Cats.” If you can, try to see it on the big screen. The cinematography and scenery match the quality of the story in this very special movie.
More buzz is out on a famous bestselling book that was made into a major motion picture. Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games may end up rivaling Stephenie Meir’s Twilight Saga. It is expected to earn 250 million after this first weekend and by those terms it’s an indisputable success. It was directed by Gary Ross known for Pleasantville and Big. It stars Jennifer Lawrence as protagonist Katniss Everdeen and Josh Hutcherson as her love interest Peeta Mellark. There are a handful of other major actors which includes Woody Harrelson as Katniss’ coach, Haymitch Abernathy. When someone reads a book, she/he wants a personal experience. When someone watches a movie made from a book, it’s no guarantee they’ll have the same experience. My guess is the only people crying in the theater will be the ones who’ve read the book first.
I’m in a position to make that statement because my wife and son who I saw the film with have both read the Hunger Games. As for me, I had very little exposure to the story and characters. I had seen Jennifer Lawrence in 
The Hunger Games is a story about a government that places a select number of its citizens in a survivalist arena where only one emerges alive as the winner. They call this event the Hunger Games. It is meant both to punish the lower class for attempting to revolt and thereby entertain the wealthy, ruling class. Katniss volunteers to be in the bloody games in the place of her young sister who is selected by lottery. Once the players are selected, the majority of the movie consists of people killing each other off. The “players” hate the government and yet turn into murderers immediately upon beginning the games. There is a winner and after the win, the movie ends quite abruptly. Sequel anyone? Based on box office results, I think that’s inevitable.
Jennifer Lawrence delivers an entrancing performance. I really “believed” she was Katniss in the Hunger Games due to her incredible acting. There is really only one other actor who delivers a strong performance, Woody Harrelson. As Katniss’ coach he has relatively less screen time. Still, we have his backstory: he won the games at one time so we know he has killed and lived to tell about it. The rest of the characters are extremely flat with, again, little or no backstory. I assume there is more character development in the novel but when you have that many people killing each other, it helps to know why they think the way they do.
Are people truly that bent on living that they will kill to appease rulers and entertain the rich? I think these killings are rather gratuitous. There is one killing they did right: a little girl was killed, which was a horrendous act against a child. When her killer was taken out, someone in the audience cheered. I agreed with him. They gave a backstory, built up anger against a character’s actions and then killed her off. If all the killings were treated that way I would have liked it more. despite its shortcomings with me, The Hunger Games has wonderful cinematography and special effects. People who know the book well will probably like it more but most who haven’t will probably like this movie just for its action and fantasy.
