"THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE" (2013) ReviewDespite my enjoyment of the 2012 movie, "THE HUNGER GAMES", I must admit that I had regarded its sequel, "THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE" with a wary eye. One, the movie franchise had replaced Gary Ross with a new one, Francis Lawrence. And two, a relative who had read all three of Suzanne Collins' novels expressed a less-than-impressed opinion of the second installment, which this movie is based upon. But enamored of the first film, I decided to give this second one a chance. "CATCHING FIRE" picked up not long after the ending of the first installment. The winners of the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, have returned to their homes in the impoverished District 12. But due to their winnings, both now reside in upscale neighborhoods. Before they are scheduled to embark upon their victory tour of Panem, Katniss receives a visit from the tyrannical President Snow, who reveals that her actions in the recent Games have inspired rebellions across the districts. He orders her to use the upcoming tour to convince everyone her actions were out of genuine love for Peeta, not defiance against the Capitol. The victory tour goes off well, aside from an emotionally difficult and violent visit to District 11, the home of the deceased tributes, 12 year-old Rue (whom Katniss had befriended) and Thesh (who had saved Katniss). Despite the tour and the installment of violent Peacekeepers in District 12 to crack down on any signs of rebellion, President Snow remains fearful of Katniss being used as a symbol of any possible upheavals. The new Head Gamekeeper, Plutarch Heavensbee, proposes a special Hunger Games called the Third Quarter Quell (the 75th Hunger Games), in which the tributes will be selected from previous victors. He believes the Games would either ruin Katniss' reputation, or kill her. As the only female victor from District 12, Katniss is naturally selected. However, her mentor Haymitch Abernathy is chosen as the male tribute. Peeta immediately volunteers to take his place. Haymitch informs the pair that most of the tributes are angry over being forced to participate again and suggests they make alliances. Although Katniss is against the idea, she and Peeta adhere to Haymitch's advice and find themselves in competition that ends with surprising results.Despite becoming a fan of "THE HUNGER GAMES", I continued to resist watching Suzanne Collins' novels. Perhaps one day I will read them. But due to my unfamiliarity with the plots, the end of "CATCHING FIRE" pretty much took me by surprise. And this is a good thing. The movie's first third hinted of a growing rebellion against President Snow's rule over Panem in scenes that included Katniss and Peeta's harrowing visit to District 11, the beating of Gale Hawthorne (Katniss' closest friend and possible lover) at the hands of the Peacekeepers, and Snow's growing paranoia over Katniss. Even the scenes featuring Katniss' participation in the 75th Hunger Games continued hint the growing rebellion against Snow's administration and the Capitol through the characters like Haymitch, Katniss' friend and costume designer Cinna, and those serving as tributes. Characters like Beetee Lasnier and Johanna Mason expressed their dismay or anger at being forced to participate in another Hunger Game during their pre-Game interviews with Caesar Flickerman. Even Peeta tried to manipulate Snow into stopping the Game with false hint that Katniss might be pregnant. And during the Game, I found it interesting that Katniss and Peeta ended up forming an alliance with Lasnier and his District 3 counterpart Wiress, Johanna, and the two tributes from District 4, Finnick Odair and Mags - the only tributes to express any hostility toward the Games and President Snow. I had figured that all of them would eventually openly defy Snow by getting out of the Games. But thanks to some very good writing from Suzanne Collins, along with screenwriters Simon Beaufoy and Michael deBruyn; the circumstances behind the beginning of the rebellion really took me by surprise.Another aspect of "CATCHING FIRE" that took me by surprise, turned out to be its cinematography. With the change of director, the franchise acquired a new cinematographer, Jo Willems. And I liked the way Willems expanded the look of Panem in the film. I suppose one could thank the movie's plot, which allowed viewers a look at the exclusive neighborhood of District 12, into which Katniss and Peeta moved following their victory at the 74th Games; the other country's districts, and the tropical environment that served as the 75th Games' new setting. But more importantly, Willems expanded the visual style of the Capitol . . . especially in a scene that featured Katniss and Peeta's arrival. This expanded visual really took me by surprise. The movie also acquired a new costume designer, Trish Summerville. I have to be honest. I found her costume designs similar to the ones created by Judianna Makovsky. I really do not see the differences . . . especially for those costumes worn by the cast for the Capitol sequences. Mind you, they are just as imaginative and beautiful as the ones featured in the first film. I simply cannot see the differences. There was one outfit - worn by Elizabeth Banks - that I found very original:
I understand that the song "Atlas", written and performed by the group Coldplay have earned both Golden Globe and Grammy nominations. Congratulations to the band. However, I do not remember the song. Sorry. I simply did not find it memorable. I was also a little disappointed in how Lawrence (the director) seemed to rush the first third of the movie - namely the sequence featuring Katniss and Peeta's victory tour and District 12's problems with the so-called Peacekeepers that culminated in Gale's beating. It seemed as if he was in a hurry for the movie to focus on the 75th "Quarter Quell" Hunger Games. And if I may be blunt, I was also not that impressed by Alan Edward Bell's editing. It struck me as a little choppy - especially in the movie's first half.The performances by the cast struck me as first rate. Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson did superb jobs in continuing the development of their characters, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mallark. I noticed in this film that Lawrence conveyed a great deal of realism in Katniss' growing difficulty in containing her emotions regarding those she cared about. This was especially apparent in the scene following Gale's public whipping, Peeta's near death experience during the first day of the Games and the visit to District 11. Someone once described Peeta as a saint. I never could view him in this manner. He strikes me as a rather manipulative individual, who can also be a very good liar. What is amazing about Hutcherson's performance is that he perfectly balanced Peeta's manipulative skills with his near all consuming love for Katniss and willingness to do anything for her. Liam Hemsworth got a chance to develop his portrayal of Katniss' childhood best friend, Gale Hawthorne. Hemsworth, like Hutcherson, did an excellent job in balancing the different layers of Gale's personality - namely his love for Katniss and his ever-growing obsession with rebellion against President Snow and the Capitol. Woody Harrelson continued to knock it out of the ballpark as Katniss and Peeta's alcoholic mentor, Haymitch Abernathy. I think this is the first time moviegoers got a real look at Haymitch's hostility toward President Snow, especially in the scene which featured the announcement of past winners participating in the Quarter Quell. Harrelson portrayed that small moment with such intense anger. Donald Sutherland continued his brilliant portrayal of the brutal, yet manipulative politician, President Coriolanus Snow. Sutherland perfectly captured Snow's quiet machinations that could rival Palpatine from the STAR WARS franchise. Yet, the actor also did a subtle job in conveying Snow's growing paranoia over Katniss' popularity and growing role as a symbol of rebellion. I had greatly enjoyed Elizabeth Banks' performance as Effie Trinket in the first movie. I loved her performance in this film, as the actress allowed filmgoers a deeper look into the chaperone's persona, beyond her usual shallowness. I am also happy that Lenny Kravitz reprised the role of Cinna, Katniss and Peeta's stylist for the Games. As usual, the actor/musician gave a warm and beautiful performance as Katniss' emotional solace before the Games. One particular scene in which Cinna endured a brutal beating over a dress he had created for Katniss proved to be a very painful one to watch, thanks to Kravitz and Lawrence's performances, along with the other Lawrence's direction. Stanley Tucci was marvelous as ever in his continuing portrayal of Caesar Flickerman, the Games' announcer and commentator. Toby Jones reprised his role as Flickerman's fellow commentator, Claudius Templesmith. But his role had been reduced considerably.The movie also featured some newcomers to the franchise. Philip Seymour Hoffman gave a sly and subtle performance as the Games' new Head Gamemaker, who schemes with President Snow to destroy Katniss' reputation and possibly, her life. Sam Claflin continued to surprise me at how charismatic he could be, in his engaging portrayal of Finnick Odair, one of the tributes from District 4, during the 75th Games. Jena Malone was a hoot as the outspoken and aggressive female tribute from District 7, Johanna Mason. The strip scene inside the elevator is one that I remember for years to come. I was surprised to see Jeffrey Wright appear in this film. He gave a subtle, yet intelligent performance as the male tribute for District 3, Beetee Latier. Wright also clicked very well with Amanda Plummer, whose performance as Latier's fellow District 3 tribute Wiress, struck me as deliciously off-center. Lynn Cohen nearly stole the show as Finnick's fellow tribute from District 4, Mags. I thought she did a pretty good job, although I am at a little loss over the fanfare regarding her performance.Many seemed to regard "CATCHING FIRE" as superior to the original 2012. I cannot agree with this opinion. I am not saying that "CATCHING FIRE" is a disappointment or inferior to "THE HUNGER GAMES". But I certainly do not regard it as better. I would say that it is just as good. And considering my very high opinion of the first film, one could assume that my opinion of this second film is equally positive, thanks to an excellent screenplay written by Simon Beaufoy and Michael deBruyn, first rate direction from Francis Lawrence, and a superb cast led by Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson.
"THE HUNGER GAMES" (2012) ReviewThe year 2008 saw the publication of a best-selling novel for young adults called "The Hunger Games". Written by Suzanne Collins, the novel's success led to the publication of two sequels and a Hollywood adaptation of the first film.Directed by Gary Ross and adapted by him, Collins and Billy Ray; "THE HUNGER GAMES" is about a sixteen year-old girl named Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a dystopian post-apocalyptic future in the nation of Panem, which consists of a wealthy city called the Capitol that is surrounded by 12 less affluent districts. As punishment for a past rebellion against the government, the Capitol created the Hunger Games – a televised annual event in which one boy and one girl from each of the 12 districts are selected in a lottery as "tributes". They are required to fight to the death in a wilderness arena until there is one remaining victor. When the name of Katniss' sister, Primrose, is called as the female tribute for their district, the 16 year-old volunteers to take Primrose's place in order to save the latter from participating in the 74th Hunger Games. Katniss is joined by her district's male tribute, the son of a baker named Peeta Mellark. They travel to the Capitol to train for the Hunger Games, under the guidance of former victor Haymitch Abernathy.When the media blitz for "THE HUNGER GAMES" had first began, I dismissed it. Especially since all I heard were comparisons to the HARRY POTTER franchise. The comparisons merely led me to roll my eyes in contempt. Not even the publicity blitz surrounding Suzanne Collins' literary trilogy could generate my interest. However, by the time "THE HUNGER GAMES" was a week or two away from its theater release, I suddenly became interested. My interest was ignited by the fact that over a month had passed since I last saw a decent new movie. I went to see the movie at my local movie theater and left feeling more than satisfied.I might as well admit it. I was very impressed by "THE HUNGER GAMES". I was more than impressed. Director Gary Ross did a superb job in bringing Suzanne Collins' novel to life on the movie screen. More importantly, the movie's dark portrayal of a post-apocalyptic future not only impressed me, but frightened me a little. Considering the present economic state of the world, it was pretty easy to image such a future for this country. "THE HUNGER GAMES" was not the first science-fiction movie with a setting featuring a wide disparity between the haves and have-nots. Last fall saw the release of a movie called "IN TIME". Whereas that movie suffered from a plot that went nowhere in its last act, "THE HUNGER GAME" ended on a more satisfying note - aside from the last minute or two. There were two main aspects of "THE HUNGER GAME" that made this movie so terrifying to me. One, the participants of this deadly game were children between the ages of 12 and 18, not adults. And more importantly, the actual games, which unfolded through two-thirds of the movie, came damn close to be a young adult remake of the chilling 1972 movie,"DELIVERANCE". Watching a group of adolescents and pre-adolescents being forced to ruthlessly kill each other pretty much made my skin crawl. Kudos to Suzanne Collins for creating a very effective tale and the same to Ross for translating it so well to the screen.I was not surprised to learn that the exteriors for "THE HUNGER GAMES" were filmed in North Carolina. The movie's opening sequence, along with the setting for the actual games did look as they had been filmed somewhere in that state. However, I was surprised to learn that the entire movie was filmed there. Apparently, Lionsgate took advantage of an $8 million tax break from North Carolina in order for the movie's principal photography to take place there. Most of the outdoor scenes - the arena and the District 12 outskirts - were filmed at the DuPont State Forest. And cinematographer Tom Stern did an excellent job in doing justice to the location's natural beauty. But he, along with Ross, did an even better job in transforming the cities of Shelby and Charlotte. They were aided by production designer Phil Messina, whose designs for the Capitol were inspired by 1939 New York's World Fair, along with Tiananmen Square in Beijing and Red Square in Moscow. Messina's designs gave the Capitol an extravagant and decadent feel, in sharp contrast to the rural poverty of District 12. I was also impressed by Judianna Makovsky's colorful costume designs, along with the outrageous hairstyles and make up - especially for the characters in the Capitol. But the movie's plot, production designs, cinematography and other aspects of "THE HUNGER GAMES" would not have worked without Gary Ross' direction and the outstanding cast led by Jennifer Lawrence. I have only seen Lawrence in one previous movie - last year's "X-MEN: FIRST CLASS" - and I was impressed by her performance. But she was even more impressive as this movie's leading character, Katniss Everdeen. Many have not only gushed over Lawrence's portrayal of the 16 year-old Katniss, but they have also labeled her as a new breed of female action heroes and a feminist icon that has not been seen on television or in the movies for years. I do not know if I agree with the latter assessment, but I cannot deny that Lawrence did a superb job in portraying an adolescent girl who is not only strong-willed and intelligent, but also very complex. Another performance that took me by surprise came from Josh Hutcherson, who portrayed Katniss' fellow combatant from District 12, Peeta Mellark. Hutcherson's Peeta has such a mild-mannered persona, I had assumed that the character would not last very long in the competition . . . or would at least proved to be a weak character that would eventually turn on Katniss. Color me surprised. But Hutcherson's performance seemed so subtle and skillful that I was surprised to discover that his character had really grown on me by the end of the movie."THE HUNGER GAMES" was also lucky to possess solid performances from the supporting cast. Liam Hemsworth - brother of Chris - gave a nice performance as Katniss' childhood friend, Gale Hawthorne. Fortunately for Hemsworth, he will be given the opportunity to strut his stuff, when his role becomes bigger in the upcoming sequels. Woody Harrelson already managed to show what a first-rate actor he could be in his superb performance as the complex and alcoholic Haymitch Abernathy, a former District 12 winner of the Hunger Games, who is assigned to act as mentor for Katniss and Peeta. There was a good deal of controversy surrounding the casting of Amandla Stenberg as the Games' youngest participant, Rue. Certain fans took issue with her racial background. Pity. Because I was very impressed by her subtle, yet charming peformance as Katniss' competitor and ultimate friend. Elizabeth Banks gave a rather funny performance as Katniss and Peeta's uptight chaparone, Effie Trinket. Singer Lenny Kravitz (and father of Lawrence's "X-MEN" co-star and friend, Zoë Kravitz) was surprisingly first-rate as Katniss and Peeta's stylist, Cinna. It has been a while since I have seen Wes Bentley in a movie. And it was heartening to see that he had not lost his touch in his ability to portray very complex characters. He certainly gave a superb and complex performance as the 74th Hunger Games' Head Gamekeeper, Seneca Crane. Donald Sutherland was also superb as President Coriolanus Snow, the introverted, yet ruthless leader of the Capitol and all of Panem. The movie also boasted fine performances from Stanley Tucci, Toby Jones, Dayo Okeniyi, Isabelle Fuhrman and Alexander Ludwig.What else can I say about "THE HUNGER GAMES"? It is one of the top-grossing movies in recent years or perhaps even of all time. Whether it deserves this honor or not, I cannot deny that it turned out to be a surprisingly well made movie, thanks to Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins, the movie's production team and a superb cast led by Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson. I had felt some anxiety when I first heard that Ross has not signed up to do the movie's sequel,"CATCHING FIRE". Pity. Fortunately, his successor ended up being an equally good director.
"SPIDER-MAN" (2002) ReviewI have been a major fan of the Marvel Comics character, Spider-Man, for a long time. When I was a kid, I used to read "The Amazing Spider-Man" comic strip from my local newspaper on a daily basis. I was also a regular viewer of the reruns from the 1967-70 animated series "SPIDER-MAN" and the 1978-79 television series, "THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN", which starred Nicholas Hammond. So when Columbia Pictures released a movie version of the comic book web crawler, I was a happy camper.Ironically, I have no memories of any particular episode from either the animated series or the live-action series. All I know is that I used to watch both. But there is no way I could ever forget director Sam Rami's 2002 film adaptation, which starred Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker aka Spider-Man. How could I? I own a DVD copy of the movie."SPIDER-MAN" is basically Rami and screenwriter David Koepp's take on the web slinger's origins. The movie begins with teenager Peter Parker living with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May in Forest Hills, a suburb in Queens, New York. Peter is in love with next door neighbor Mary Jane Watson and is best friends with Harry Osborn, the son of millionaire/scientist and Oscorp CEO, Dr. Norman Osborn; who seems to regard Peter more as a son than Harry. Peter attends a field trip with Mary Jane, Harry and other fellow students to a genetics lab. when he is bitten by a genetically engineered spider. He wakes up the following morning with perfect vision, fast reflexes, superhuman strength and the ability to emit web strings. His school fight with Mary Jane's bullying boyfriend, Flash Thompson, attracts Uncle Ben's attention, who has become concerned with Peter's recently distant behavior.Meanwhile, Norman Osborn's company is in danger of losing its bid for a contract with the U.S. Army for weapons. Osborn tests his company's new performance-enhancing drug and becomes stronger. He also acquires a maniacal alter ego and murders his assistant. And Peter decides to use his new abilities to raise money. He enters a wrestling match to win $300 dollars. But the promoter scams him out of his full reward and Peter retaliates by refusing to help stop a thief from stealing the box office returns. The same thief ends up killing Uncle Ben during a carjacking. When Peter realizes that the thief and his uncle's killer are one and the same, he becomes guilt-ridden and decides to use his powers to become a masked vigilante following graduation from high school. In time, Peter aka Spider-Man and Osborn aka the Green Goblin battle it out for the safety of New York.As much as I enjoyed "SPIDER-MAN", I must admit that it had its flaws. All of those flaws centered around Koepp's screenplay. One, I thought the story was a bit episodic, especially the first half that revealed both Spider-Man and the Green Goblin's origins. In fact, the movie could be easily divided into two halves - from the beginning to Peter's graduation from high school, and his activities and battles with the Green Goblin. Another major problem that stemmed from Koepp's screenplay was the dialogue. "SPIDER-MAN" turned out to be one of the two top movies that were released during the summer of 2002. The other was "STAR WARS: EPISODE II - ATTACK OF THE CLONES". While fans and critics criticized some of the dialogue in the latter film, they easily overlooked the cheesy dialogue that tainted "SPIDER-MAN", especially the smart-ass comments that poured from Spider-Man's mouth. And I found the Green Goblin's early attempt to convince Spider-Man to become an ally a bit contrived.Fortunately, "SPIDER-MAN" possessed virtues that outnumbered its flaws. One, the movie was fortunate to have Danny Elfman as its composer. I thought he did a top-notch job that contributed greatly to not only the movie's, but the entire trilogy's atmosphere. Neil Spisak and his team did a superb job with the movie's production designs that gave it a colorful, comic-book style without going over-the-top. I was especially impressed by Spisak's designs for the genetic lab sequence and the Oscorp-sponsored fair sequence that featured the murders of the Oscorp directors. Spisak's production work was ably assisted by Don Burgess' photography. In fact, I would say that Burgess' work more than Spisak's gave the movie its colorful comic-book style.Although I found Koepp's screenplay a bit episodic, I must admit that it featured some very exciting scenes that I will never forget. My favorites include Peter's wrestling match with Bonesaw McGraw, the murder of the Oscorp directors, and Spider-Man's rescue of Mary Jane from a bunch of thugs. But the two scenes that truly stood out for me and struck me as well directed by Rami were the Thanksgiving dinner at Peter and Harry's Manhattan apartment; and the final showdown between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin. The Thanksgiving dinner not only led to Osborn's discovery of Peter's identity as Spider-Man, it provided a deliciously subtle interaction between the millionaire and Aunt May, due to wonderful performances by Willem Dafoe and Rosemary Harris. Spider-Man and the Green Goblin's final confrontation led to a nail-biting moment in which the latter forced Spider-Man to choose between saving Mary Jane and the underage passengers of a Roosevelt Island Tramway car. The sequence also led to a brutal fight between the adversaries and one of the best lines ever to be uttered by a Marvel villain:"This is why only fools are heroes - because you never know when some lunatic will come along with a sadistic choice."I will also add that when I criticized Koepp's screenplay for being episodic, I really meant that it seemed to be somewhat divided between two complete stories. Once Peter assumed the role of Spider-Man, became a photographer for The Daily Bugle and engaged in his conflict with the Green Goblin, the movie picked up to become a force of nature.Tobey Maguire nearly failed to become Peter Parker aka Spider-Man. Although Rami wanted him for the role, Columbia Pictures executives were hesitant to cast someone who did not seem to fit the ranks of "adrenaline-pumping, tail-kicking titans". Apparently, these guys never read any of the comic books. Without his Spider-Man outfit, Peter Parker was supposed to be a quiet, nerdy science student with a slight built. Not only did Maguire physically and emotionally fulfilled Peter's character with perfection, he also worked with a physical trainer to improve his physique for the Spider-Man scenes. His performances as Spider-Man really took me by surprise. I did not realize that he would be so effective as both an action hero and quiet nerd. And I like being surprised.Koepp's portrayal of the Mary Jane Watson character differed from the comic books in many ways. One, Peter and Mary Jane never met until both were students at Empire State University in the comic books. Two, the comic book Mary Jane was a little more extroverted than the cinematic Mary Jane portrayed by Kirsten Dunst. And she seemed quite taken by Spider-Man, after he saved her during the Goblin's murder of the Oscorp directors. Despite these changes, Dunst gave an excellent performance with the character she was given and she had a very strong screen chemistry with Maguire, which culminated in the famous screen kiss that is still considered iconic. Also, Dunst's Mary Jane proved that friendship was a more valuable component than mere muscles, when she revealed at the end that Peter meant more to her than Spider-Man. Dunst also had a strong screen chemistry with actor James Franco, who gave an excellent performance as the insecure Harry Osborn, who longed for his father's attention and especially respect. Come to think of it, Franco also had strong chemistry with both Maguire and Willem Dafoe. Cliff Robertson was wonderful as Peter's Uncle Ben. He and Maguire were excellent in the Peter/Uncle Ben scenes that would end up reverberating in the next two movies. And Rosemary Harris was a delight as the warm-hearted Aunt May, especially in the Thanksgiving dinner scene and the hospital scene that featured her own heartwarming conversation with Peter. Despite being forced to utter some very cheesy dialogue, Willem Dafoe overcame this defect and gave a truly scary and fascinating performance as Norman Osborn aka the Green Goblin. Some of his best moments featured those scenes in which Osborn had conversations with his alter ego - the Goblin. No wonder his Green Goblin is still considered to be the best on-screen Spider-Man villain.Stan Lee was ecstatic over J.K. Simmons' portrayal of The Daily Bugle editor-in-chief, J. Jonah Jameson. And I can see why. In some ways, it is a rather one-dimensional performance. Then again, I have always remembered Jameson as a one-dimensional character. But Simmons breathed life and humor into the role and ended up giving one of the best performances in the movie. It is too bad that the Betty Brant character was regulated as a supporting one. In the comic books, she was Peter's high school girlfriend and his first love. In "SPIDER-MAN", she is Jameson's friendly secretary, who was always coming to Peter's aid. Yet, Elizabeth Banks effused a great deal of warmth into the character that made her very likeable. I can also say the same about Bill Nunn's performance as editor Joseph "Robbie" Robertson. Bruce Campbell and Octavia Spencer provided some humorous moments as a wrestling announcer and a clerk who signs Peter up for a match.Unlike many other fans of the "SPIDER-MAN" movie franchise, I never considered the 2002 movie to be the second best of those directed by Sam Rami. David Koepp's screenplay seemed a bit episodic to me. And it was filled with too many cheesy dialogue. But the screenplay did provide a strong and action-packed second half for the story. And I am one who cannot deny that Rami's direction, along with the production crew and an excellent cast led by Tobey Maguire overcame the screenplay's flaws and provided a first-rate comic book movie that I will never forget.
