The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Predicted Rating: 3.5 Stars

Directed by: Francis Lawrence (Constantine). Starring: Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook), Josh Hutcherson (Red Dawn) and Liam Hemsworth (The Expendables 2)

Adapted from the best selling novel of the same name, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire takes place immediately after the events of the first film. After achieving an unlikely victory in the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Hutcherson) embark on the victory tour to all 12 districts. Katniss is seen as a beacon of hope for the districts to rise up against the capitol. Growing weary, President Snow (Donald Sutherland as the 2nd best movie president ever) declares that the 75th Hunger Games be one featuring previous winners in order to eliminate them and squash any hope of a rebellion. In the arena Katniss and Peeta enlist the help of Finnick (Sam Clafin) and Johanna (Jenna Malone) to keep them safe from the career tributes.

This discussion was going to be inevitable so I might as well start with it, let's discuss the whole book to movie transition. As I am more of a watcher than a reader, my tactic is to watch the movie then read the book. The vast majority of the time, the book is better than the movie, mainly because the book can include a lot more detail that is difficult to capture on the screen. Hence, watching the movie first allows you to get an overall feel of what the story is like and then you pad out the rest reading the book. It also avoids the disappointment of developing a visual interpretation of the characters in the book and then being bitterly disappointed when the actors look nothing like you thought the character would. My tactic worked a treat for my favourite book, IT by Stephen King. The movie is downright terrifying, mainly due to a bone chilling performance from Tim Curry, however, the book is echelons better. This is mainly due to the inclusion of so many scenes that just wouldn't work on the screen and the fact that the two stories (past and present) intertwine so effortlessly in the book rather than having them as two separate entities in the TV movie. With the first Hunger Games, I think my tactic worked well again. The first film is probably one of the more faithful and accurate interpretations of the source material, whilst still leaving some gaps that need to be filled in by the book. A brilliant way to encourage kids to start reading! Will this work for Catching Fire? Only time will tell.

Now, this is going to sound incredibly stupid but hear me out here, The Hunger Games series is probably one of the most relatable pieces of literature for me. As a man who has been involved in a reality TV show, and in particular, been involved in an onscreen relationship, I can relate to some of the issues Katniss and Peeta have to deal with. In no way was our relationship fake like that of Katniss and Peeta and we were not forced to fake it for the value of entertainment once it ended but there was some manipulation involved. Everything you see on screen was legitimate, however we were forced into situations on occasions for the purpose of entertaining others, just as Katniss and Peeta were. All of this in pursuit of ratings. This made me think, what would of happened if Beauty and the Geek was like the Hunger Games. In someways it is, teams of two (male and female) battling it out to claim the final prize. Obviously there isn't a fight to the death but based on the first couple of nights camping, I would probably back myself in a survival situation.

In the end, this is actually a fantastic movie. At some stages, I was disappointed with the first film because it wasn't well directed, I wasn't a huge fan of the whole shaky cam during the games. However, the direction of Catching Fire was a huge improvement. The film also seems to be a lot more mature than the first. The Hunger Games does a fantastic job of dealing with the sensitive issue of children killing other children for sport but it felt a bit childish. In Catching Fire, you see the characters mature into adults and hence the film seems much more mature. It also doesn't suffer from to second instalment blues that many film series (Star Wars excepted) suffer from. The second film can sometimes feel just as a filler between the establishing story of the first film and the epic finale. Catching Fire does what many sequels fail to do, outshine the first.

Overall: As a tribute to Katniss' signature salute, I want to give Catching Fire 3 stars, however, it is way too good. 4.5 Stars



I volunteer as trib...
  

Insidious: Chapter 2

Insidious: Chapter 2

Predicted Rating: 4 Stars

Directed by: James Wan (Saw). Starring: Patrick Wilson (Watchmen) and Rose Byrne (X-Men: First Class)

Taking place immediately after the events of the first film, Insidious: Chapter 2 sees Josh (Wilson) return from the further not quite feeling himself. Renai (Byrne) is still on edge after discovering that Elise has been murdered, continues to see apparitions, this time at her mother-in-law's house. Josh, or should I say not-Josh, tries to convince her that she is making it all up but it is only their son Dalton who realises that there is something wrong with his dad.

In my opinion, Insidious is the scariest film I have ever seen. It perfectly mixes jump scares with tension building to leave you on the edge of your seat. Remember the scene when Darth Maul appeared behind Josh out of nowhere? Sorry for you not being able to sleep tonight now. It is also fantastically directed. That is why Insidious: Chapter 2 was such a let down for me. James Wan seemed to lose a bit of his touch when directing this film. This could probably be put down Wan having to rush this film and also being tied up with The Conjuring but it just doesn't seem to be as crisp as his previous efforts. It really took the genius of Wan to make Saw and Insidious as good as they were. Chapter 2 seems to just go through the motions and doesn't deliver anywhere near enough jump scares.

Chapter 2 also suffers from some scripting problems that were not present in Leigh Whannell's other films. It is apparent he watched the youtube video "Everything that is wrong with Insidious in 8 minutes or less" because it seems he blatantly tries to plug some plot holes from the first film here. However, in trying to cover up some, he creates some more blatant ones. For example, why didn't Renai realise that her mother-in-law was gone for the entire evening despite being woken several times? What happened to the police investigation? The officer specifically said on the phone that they will be investigating Elise's death further but then that plot line was completely disregarded. In no world, no matter what the circumstances, will a 10 year old hit his dad over the head with a baseball bat. Finally, what came of the guy with the duster in the further? The old man specifically said that he had Josh's baby. Here I was expecting some sort of Braindead style baby possession but nothing came of it. However, what I think disappointed me the most was that the main plot twist was stolen from my all time favourite ending! I won't say what it is because I will ruin two movies but watch (or if you are too lazy, read the wikipedia article) Sleepaway Camp. It is extremely cheesy but it has THE GREATEST ENDING OF ALL TIME! Even though the twist is not as critical in Chapter 2, I kind of sighed loudly and lost interest once I worked it out.

Horror movies, the vast majority of the time, rely on stupid white people being stupid white people. This stems back to the late 70's/early 80's slashers when, instead of using common sense, the "protagonist" will investigate that infamous noise completely unarmed and then ultimately meet their demise by the hands of the homicidal maniac. Chapter 2 is no exception to this rule. As usual, no one in this film has heard of adequate household lighting. Also why would you investigate the abandoned hospital and the old man's house IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT?! I know you guys are ghost hunters but at least regroup in the morning and make sure you have the proper equipment. A couple of handheld cameras and a set of dice with limited characters is not going to cut it. Ghosts do not abbreviate their speak like in text messages so bring more dice!

Despite all the downfalls, Chapter 2 can be entertaining on occasions. Patrick Wilson is my all time favourite actor and does a very good job in this. Rose Byrne sort of just cries the whole time but that is what the role asked for. Despite not being as scary as the first instalment, it does do a good job at building the tension. The comic relief of Whannell and Angus Sampson adds a certain humanity to the experience. Finally, even though it is not his best effort, James Wan is still a genius and it is still a well directed film.

Overall: Fairly disappointing in comparison to the first instalment but it still delivers the scares. 2.5 Stars
   

Thor: The Dark World

Thor: The Dark World

Predicted Rating: 3.5 Stars

Directed by: Aaron Taylor (The Emperor's New Clothes). Starring: Chris Hemsworth (Cabin in the Woods), Natalie Portman (V for Vendetta) and Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs)

Taking place in phase 2 of the Marvel Universe, set just after the events of The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World sees Asgard coming under threat from a doomsday weapon. Thousands of years after the Dark Elves were defeated by Thor's grandfather, they return lead by Malekith after their weapon, The Aether, is trapped in the body of Jane Foster (Portman). It is up to Thor (Hemsworth) to save the 9 realms from imminent destruction, but not before enlisting the help of his exiled brother, Loki.

There are essentially only three reasons why the stand alone Thor movies exist: 1. So Stan Lee can add another level to his house, 2. So 99% of the population will know who the hell Thor and Loki are before they watch The Avengers and 3. So women can oogle at Chris Hemsworth with no shirt on. However, I think the stand alone Thor movies are my favourites in the Avengers universe. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed Iron Man, Captain America and The Avengers but all in all I enjoyed Thor the most.

I think the reason why I like Thor is that it is the most science fictiony movie of the franchise. The plot would not be out of place in a Star Trek episode/film. The have flying cars and everything! This installment of Thor also tries to be the most comedic of the series as well (even though I thought Iron Man was supposed to provide the jokes for the Avengers). I don't think I am a fan of this, not just in this film, but in action films in general. I always feel very awkward laughing because a couple of minutes ago all those people got killed and now you are cracking jokes? There is also that one guy in the cinema that laughs way louder than everyone else and makes everyone feel uncomfortable. Maybe I don't like it in this film due to my severe dislike of Kat Dennings. She is supposed to be the comic relief but whenever she comes on screen I just want her to shut the hell up and leave. Some of the Loki jokes are funny, for example when he changes to Captain America to make Thor "feel more comfortable", but they only come in a short 3-4 minute burst.

Like most commercial films, it is very easy to nit-pick the errors. The hiding place for the Aether was not too well thought out. It was essentially found by accident by Natalie Portman acting like a stupid white girl from a 1980's horror film. She then claims that the reason why the world almost ended was her fault suggesting that she purposely found the Aether, we all know happened Natalie. Some better suggestions for hiding spots include in Kat Dennings cleavage, in the warehouse from Raiders of the Lost Ark, or as my friend suggested "They hid it in the title of the movie! No one will look in there". Since when did Thor's mum become a master of karate? And why didn't she use her skills previously? The technology of these supposed ancient societies also confuses me. For most battles, the Asgardians decide to use swords and shields. However, when the dark elves, or the Michael Myers fan club (not Austin Powers, but the main protagonist from the Halloween franchise. Interesting fact, the mask used in that series was originally supposed to be a William Shatner mask but John Carpenter found it in the shop and thought it looked creepy) turn up, the have freakin lasers despite being in exile for thousand of years! At this point I thought oh no! We are doomed. Then the Asgardians used their lasers! Where were these before?!

Overall: This is a very entertaining popcorn movie. However, the real reason I usually watch Marvel movies is to see the spoiler revealed during the credits and I was not disappointed this time. 4 stars