Review: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay–Part 1

Liberty Voice

"You're looking more like Thor now. That's great."

First of all, I need a show of hands: Who’s totally fed up with splitting a book into two movie adaptations? I know I am not alone.

I’m glad that director Francis Lawrence stayed on to direct the Mockingjay films, as the Catching Fire movie was really, really great. It’s probably the best book-to-movie adaptation that really captured my own experience when reading the book. Mockingjay Part 1 maintains the tone, the edginess—just about everything you loved from the second movie is still there, and that’s great.

It’s super—and I mean super-super—that Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) is in the film, because I read the book and Effie didn’t have a big part in the third book. Banks, together with the rest of the awesome supporting actors Woody Harrelson, Julianne Moore, Stanley Tucci, and Philip Seymour Hoffman (I miss him already! Rest in peace.) played their part as expected. I secretly wish they had more screen time. Even the new supporting cast (Hey, Natalie Dormer of Game of Thrones!) is good, but they had even less screen time.

US Magazine

"All hail Katniss Everdeen, for surviving The Fappening!"

It’s also not a surprise that Jennifer Lawrence (as Katniss Everdeen) and Josh Hutcherson (as Peeta Mellark) have totally embraced their parts. This movie, though, does not give us enough scenes of them together (because plot), and it leaves me wanting. Also, Liam Hemsworth (as Gale Hawthorne) is looking a lot more like his brother Chris (Thor in The Avengers and People’s 2014 Sexiest Man Alive), but he still needs to step up as Gale. I loved Gale in the book, and I haven’t really met that Gale on the big screen. The “kiss” scenes both in the second and third movies were merely just glimpses.

But really, watching Mockingjay Part 1 is... bitin. I have no other words for it. It’s great and all, but since the book is split into two movies, the pace of the book was somewhat lost. I know the buzz and momentum will increase once again when the Part 2 trailers, teasers and shiz start showing up, but the whole experience of the whole book is now out the window. Then again, I understand while some books need to be split (because details, I know!), it’s a real toss-up. I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt that it’s not just because of the money.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 just a 7 for me. Suzanne Collins’ dystopian world and everything in it (the tension, the emotions, the rage, etc.) is all there, but it will leave you wanting for more.

P.S. I still have “The Hanging Tree” song in my head.

Hunger Games DWTC

Why does it look like the Lord of the Rings font?

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The Master

TWC/Annapurna

You all know this is an art film, because it can be summed up in one word: BORING. Yeah, art films (or art house films, as they are known in the States) are great, but not all of them are. Some are just downright slow and non-engaging, which is primarily the reason this film is released by Fox Searchlight and not any major studio.

TWC/Annapurna

"What the hell? This isn't Fox Searchlight, dumbass."

Moneyball

Just like the game of baseball can be reduced to basically two things (batting and pitching), this film can also be reduced to two things: baseball and math. The cast can also be reduced to just two people: Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill.

So it’s basically this: Brad Pitt is baseball, and Jonah Hill is math.

"If you're baseball, why're you wearing tennis headgear?"

Brad Pitt: Mr. Pitt is noticeably getting older, but his acting chops and alpha male-swagger are still there. And though he plays a retired baseball player, he never actually swings a bat. His professional youth was played by a younger actor who in my opinion looks nothing like Brad Pitt. Except maybe for the eyes. But why couldn’t they have just done some Benjamin Button special effects on Brad Pitt’s mug?

"I don't think so."

Jonah Hill: I don’t know if this is Jonah Hill’s first serious role (or first non-comedic role), but if it is, then congratulations to him. His face is actually better suited for drama. His eyes have that sorrowful look about them.

But he can also do joyful faces.

By the way, Philip Seymour Hoffman is also in this flick, but you hardly ever feel his magnificent presence. They’ve reduced him to a mere trainer who gets very few minutes of screen time. Too bad, though. What a waste of acting caliber.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Apparently, Robin Wright was here, too. But who the hell notices Robin Wright, especially after her divorce from Sean Penn?



Moneyball. USA. 2011.



Rating: Six point eight out of ten.




*some info from IMDb
pics from All Movie Photo and YouTube

The Ides of March

Any English major can tell you what the title is all about. Or at least any Shakespeare buff. The title comes from the soothsayer from Julius Caesar's William Shakespeare. Oh, sorry... from William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. "Beware the ides of March."

So what does this film have in common with Julius Caesar? Nothing, except the politics. So that is what we shall discuss.

First, the campaign team of Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney) as he climbs his way up the electoral ladder. There’s Paul Zara, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, brilliant as always. So we’ll skip him.

"Yeah, you know I'm brilliant."

Then there’s his protégé Stephen Meyers, played by Ryan Gosling. Now Ryan Gosling has an all-American face, and he can act with it, especially with his eyes. But he can’t act very much with his voice. He always talks in a certain slow drawl, and is most of the time devoid of any expressions and emotions. I think he should work on that a bit. All right, after Gosling, there’s the slutty intern played by Evan Rachel Wood. Sometimes she looks pretty, and other times, she looks like a cokehead slut. As if I even know what a cokehead slut looks like.

"Yes, a cokehead slut."

On the other side of the political fence, there’s Zara’s rival Tom Duffy, played by Paul Giamatti, who is kind of the opposite of Ryan Gosling in the voice department. Giamatti’s voice is annoying, to say the least. It’s whiny, and it’s nasal. But he’s a great actor despite that.

"We both got a problem with our voice, Gosling. Deal with it."

Other actors in the cast are Marisa Tomei, whose hair I don’t like; Jeffrey Wright, who I’m seeing a lot of lately; and Max Minghella, the annoying sidekick to the Winklevii twins in The Social Network.

I almost forgot to mention that this flick was directed by George Clooney himself. However, I only have one complaint, and that is regarding the character of Governor Mike Morris himself. I felt his character wasn’t fleshed out too well, especially since his character is directly involved in the film’s turning point. I hope Clooney doesn’t justify his lack of characterization with the fact that he was busy behind the camera.

"How 'bout I justify it with my
looking awesome instead?"

The Ides of March. USA. 2011.



Rating: Six point nine out of ten.




*some info from IMDb
pics from All Movie Photo

Doubt

Three words: Pretty Heavy Stuff.

Story and Screenplay: Great. Excellent even. The screenplay was very well written. I could not have crafted a more perfect story. Not once did the film become explicit. All the crucial things were merely implied. And therein lies the beauty of it, for in implying something, there is no certainty; only doubt. And that's where the title comes from, in case you didn't notice.

John Patrick Shanley: Writer. Director. Storyteller. This guy speaks the cinematic language fluently. You can tell by the pacing of the film, plus the poetry of the shots. A true visual storyteller.

Amy Adams: Yeah, you look cute. And you're acting's cute. Okay, everything about you is cute. Too bad about that Oscar though.

Philip Seymour Hoffman: Yes, I know you're a great actor. But this is not your best performance. You and I know it. Especially you. You know you've performed better. But hey, you're always great anyway. But this still isn't your best performance.

Meryl Streep: Using a ten-star rating scale, Meryl Streep alone is an automatic five stars. The first time she shows her face on camera---brilliant. Meryl Streep is the bitchiest nun I have ever encountered. Bitchier even than the Mother Superior in The Sound of Music. Wait, I don't think the Mother Superior was a bitch at all. Anyway...Meryl Streep...I just love the accent. Italian-American northeastern, probably. New York, Jersey, or Connecticut, or somewhere thereabouts. And while I have not seen The Reader yet, I am certain that Ms. Streep gave the best performance that year, better even that Kate Winslet.

So, let me end this by saying: Go watch Doubt. Especially the Roman Catholics. This is, after all, a Catholic school film.


*some info from IMDb
pic from welt.de


Doubt. 2008. USA.


Rating: Nine out of ten (One star each for cinematography, screenplay, directing, and acting; five stars for Meryl Streep).