Film: Mockingjay, Part II

GENRE: Adventure

RATING: PG-13 for violence
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 17 minutes

STARRING: Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook, Joy)

Josh Hutcherson (Kids Are All Right), Liam Hemsworth (Expendables 2)

DIRECTOR: Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend, Water for Elephants)

WRITERS: Danny Strong (The Butler) & Peter Craig (The Town)

PLOT: Katniss goes out of her way to take down President Snow in this final installment of the Hunger Games series.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:

1 Just like the third book, this movie does not have the same punch as the first two books/films. Hunger Games and Catching Fire get the action contained and taut, these Mockingjay films kind of go all over the place which gets too messy at times. Even so, it’s still a pretty good film, just not as good as the first couple.

2 I don’t know why it is but I didn’t find many of the deaths very affecting. Maybe I’m too desensitized.   

3 I found the sewer attack sequence very suspenseful and action packed. Great job on the patience and ensuing chaos of that scene.

4 Just like the giving of the mockingjay pin in the first film, I found it humourous that they used Prim to talk to Peeta instead of the random schoolmate mentioned in the book. Why introduce new characters when you can give Prim more work to do?

5 Novels are allowed to take their time wrapping up a story. They can take pages and even chapters dealing with emotional aftermath and a summary of what happened to the major players after the conflict is resolved. Films don’t have that luxury, these scenes tend to drag. Kind of reminded me of Return of the King with its multiple ending sequences.

RECOMMENDATION: Might as well see it on the big screen
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Spotlight

Film: Spectre

GENRE: Action

RATING: PG-13 for violence, sensuality & language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 28 minutes

STARRING: Daniel Craig (Skyfall, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)

Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds), Lea Seydoux (MI:3)

DIRECTOR: Sam Mendes (Skyfall, American Beauty)

WRITERS: Robert Wade & Neal Purvis (Casino Royale, Skyfall)

John Logan (Skyfall, Galdiator), Jez Butterworth (Edge of Tomorrow)

PLOT: Bond tries to uncover a secret organization and typical Bond stuff happens.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:

1 In typical fashion, Bond starts off with a bang: a fun, minimal dialogue action sequence in Mexico. The Day of the Dead celebrations look interesting and crowded.

2 I agree with the critics, Craig looks a little bored with James Bond. It seems like he used to have more fun with his job.  

3 I love seeing Q and Moneypenny more. In earlier films, they maybe had a line or two, now they get to do some stuff. Fun times.

4 Andrew Scott, who plays Moriarty on BBC’s Sherlock, gets to be slimy again. He does it so well.

5 Waltz plays a fun Bond villain but I wish we had more scenes with him. Loved how everything got revealed though. Well played producers.  

RECOMMENDATION: Not as good as Skyfall, wait for DVD

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part II