The Starving Games

Review: This movie was totally not funny. For a spoof movie, I was expecting at least a couple of laughs, but the director must have been about 2 years old because the whole thing just seemed immature and silly. The only thing that a found a little amusing was the Pink bearded Mr. T lookalike, but that was about it. Some parts go really over the top, and make you wonder if they actually watched the movie before they brought it out, which was why it went straight to DVD. You won't be seeing most of the actors again, so there isn't much to comment about there performances. At the end of the day, it's just another spoof movie. Disappointing! Round-Up: As there dint that much out on DVD, I thought that I would give this movie a go, but I knew what to expect. I didn't really pay that much attention to the film after a whole because I just couldn't find anything funny. There are a few references to some other movies like The Avengers and The Expendables, but the director didn't do that much with the material. If you want loads of laughs then this is definitely not the movie for you, but if you want to play "Name That Film" then you should give it a go. A total waste of time and budget. Budget: $4.5million Worldwide Gross: N/A I recommend this movie to people who are into there spoof movies, but don't expect much from this a Hunger Games make over. 2/10

I'm not going to lie, this is quite possibly my favorite low-budget parody film I've ever seen. Most of the jokes are on the money and catch you off guard just the way they're supposed to. And I'll be honest, even the acting was good. I've seen good actors try and act poorly before but this cast delivered. Speaking of the cast, Maiara Walsh is gorgeous. I hope she can break out of the low-budget niche film market and onto the big scene a bit because she's legit. If you're looking for a serious film, this obviously isn't for you but this is definitely a movie worth watching if you're looking for a cheap laugh or two or twelve.

One of the main criticisms of this parody/spoof is that it is of low quality, but to me I found it spot-on appropriate given it's source inspiration. "The Hunger Games" is written with plot & dialogue for the broadest marketable audience - functioning 9-10th grade literacy (even with aging unchanged decades later). "Starving" exposed all the dialogue, acting, set and action sequences for what they were - improbable dumbness. "Starving" even tossed in a few gibes at similar audience favorites, e.g. "The Expendables" super badasses, Marvel superheroes and Taylor Swift, Potter and more in their equal opportunity funning. The cross media "Angry Birds" and "Fruit Attack" turned reality app attacks were a total-hilarious surprise. There is the basic slapstick improbabilities (breadstick arrow); the brief crudeness (a streaker). But, most poignant, in a "Daily Show" way of exposure, is Starving's behavior burlesques of the whole "Hunger" milieu - the hunt & kill sequences, the cameras, the basic scientifically impossible dome with it's computer controlled environment. The pun work was spot-on or should I say "Kant-miss" on "Every-shot". So, "Hunger" fanatics, watch this great parody to see "Hunger" for what it is.

I think it's fair to say that 2013 has not been the best year for comedy. In this year alone, we've had to suffer through Movie 43 (Cringe- Inducing), A Haunted House (Subpar), Grown Ups 2 (Insufferable) , & Scary Movie 5 (Excruciating). After Scary Movie 5, I thought to myself "This is it, this is as bad as any comedy can get, it's all uphill from here". Well, turns out that I was wrong, because believe it or not, The Starving Games is EVEN WORSE Than all the movies that I just mentioned. If you've seen/survived Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer' s past movies, then you know what to expect. It's a series of juvenile gags, dated pop culture references, lame celebrity impersonators, cheap production values, and scenes stolen from movies that have nothing to with what they're supposed to be spoofing. The only good thing about this movie is that it's in limited release, so that no one can spend their money on this garbage.

Yeah, it's not perfect or big budget super special effects, but it works, and works well on satirizing the plot holes of the original story. The humor is witty enough, but some of it is too 2013 only. It doesn't drag on with the setup and quickly goes straight to the game. Fun if you didn't like the hunger games. The flow from scene to scene is good. The forest is an actual forest. The actors are having fun with their roles. Love the announcers, the blue guys and the pink lady. No joke overstays its welcome for too long, except for the small gag with the toilet humor, but it's only in two parts of the movie. Some hated memes get destroyed. It might not make you laugh, but it will make you smile. If you are a fan of the hunger games book or movies, don't even bother, because you most likely don't have a sense of humor about yourself to enjoy this movie.