The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

My hope is that Suzanne Collins is working on a Caesar Flickerman spinoff featuring two hours of Stanley Tucci doing his sparkling white-chomper, bouffont hair, purple eyebrowed, over-the-top gameshow host persona. His character portrayal is probably the greatest display of Tucci's talent because it's just so much fun.

The second film adaptation in the bestselling YA sci-fi trilogy is finally here and is bigger than its predecessor in many ways: Budget, star-power, violence, and political dissidence. Coming in at nearly two and a half hours, it follows the District 12 Hunger Games victors as they travel their victory tour, witnessing the discontent and squalor in a nod to the growing socio-economic class divide embracing their dystopian society. Katniss and Peeta, the darlings from the 74th annual Hunger Games, are forced back into the arena for the 75th anniversary "Quarter Quell" where surviving victors are pitted against each other in order to cull the inspirational herd, a reunion devised by evil President Snow, who is looking to put down any possible rebellion. Ultimately, the film lays out the groundwork for the two part finale, Mockingjay, which will be a major departure from the theme of the first two games... er, I mean movies. I worry that the franchise could be in danger of taking a "Matrix" turn, but feel that the material and characters are strong enough to avoid that potential franchise collapse.

Katniss is a very well-cast Jennifer Lawrence, who although just won an Oscar last year, will forever be known as the girl on fire. I'm not sure if two more full films of her as the heroine of Panem is going to be good for her professional image, but she's still young and has decades of work in front of her so it doesn't really matter. She's getting paid, and is looking great doing it. Her emotions are at a higher level than what most early-20's actresses would be able to conjure for a film of this magnitude. It's less about a badass girl with a bow and arrow, and more about a girl who is surviving and inspiring others in a broken world. She was a great choice and shines again in Catching Fire.

Peeta is a slightly older, slightly wiser, slightly more handsome Josh Hutcherson. He fits the role much better now, and will only fill into the heartthrob role that he was lucky to get a couple of years ago. His character is the anchor that defines the humanity of the world. He does well, and I can see that if he packs on a few pounds of muscle, he might break out in Mockingjay and build himself a nice little future career path. Let me say, he didn't annoy me the way he did in the first film. Although his character is pretty weakly written.

Supporting cast members from the first film return, notably Donald Sutherland, Lenny Kravitz, Elizabeth Banks, and Woody Harrelson, and we are introduced to a handful of new ones. Most worthy of mention are Philip Seymour Hoffman as the new gamemaker, Jena Malone as Katniss' vampy rival vixen, Sam Claflin as my favorite character, Finnick Odair, and a very small role by Jeffrey Wright, one of the most under-appreciated actors today. They all assimilate into the world of Hunger Games, and do it with alacrity. The world created by director Francis Lawrence is believable and bleak, but I'll expand on that below.

I liked that there was a certain amount of assumed knowledge of the story, as there isn't anyone in America who doesn't know of the franchise, and probably who hasn't either read the book and/or seen the first film. Catching Fire is the only film in 2013 that might be able to rival Iron Man 3's mega-success, but time will tell if it hits the international $1 billion mark. I vote yes. Anyway, the advantage of a sequel is that there isn't the necessary groundwork to lay. We know who the characters are, their motivation and relationships, and we're aware of the rules of the universe in which the film operates. This was a double edged sword as some of the routines that Katniss and Peeta went through seemed a bit redundant after the tension-laden original film of 2012. For example, the tribute training seemed to lack the nervous energy and spirit of competition. The countdown to the beginning of the games was less of a heart-pounding uncertain event, and more of a "come on, let's get on with the show" kind of scene. I know it sounds strange, but even at two and a half hours, some of the critical scenes seemed a bit rushed. The artistic interpretation of the gap fillers dragged on more than it needed to, and although there was more material to cover, I wish the darker tone had made the film a bit more violent and despondent than it was.

Francis Lawrence was the director of this one (Constantine, I am Legend) which had a bit more action and special effects than the first iteration. Francis will be helming both Mockingjay films, as the studio probably wanted to follow the storyline into darkness with a more gritty director than Gary Ross, who did the first Hunger Games. He has more artistic imagination with Pleasantville and Seabiscuit to his credit, so I like the change, and the direction that the franchise is seeming to move. Not that the change is noticeable, but the franchise has a growing sense of depravity as the bleakness and violence build to the revolutionary end. I'm looking forward to it, especially as Danny Strong is writing the final two films. Look for the next two Novembers to be consumed by Hunger Games fever, and then it will disappear, a la Twilight.

One thing I didn't like about it is the portrayal of the future society. It was a gripe from the first one, and one that will haunt Divergent when it tries to take the reigns of "strong heroine" from Katniss' grasp over the next couple of years. The society has been simplified beyond all belief. There are 12 districts in the nation of Panem, which is the remnant of the United States, and each one has just one singular purpose or function. Coal, bread, textiles, agriculture, masonry, etc. It's too simplistic of a world, and maybe I'm reading into the story a bit deeper than I need to, but it seems that a revolution is well overdue. The other thing is the on again, off again relationship between Katniss and Peeta, and that pesky Gale. Young Adult fiction just wouldn't exist without a love triangle, but the Gale role in Hunger Games is confusing. He is not a likable love interest, or a suitable alternative to the reluctantly brave Peeta and his noble virtues. Liam Hemsworth may have a foot in Hollywood's door, but his tryst with Miley Cyrus means that he has some ground to make up with audiences. I can't look at him without seeing Miley swinging naked from a wrecking ball, and until he breaks through that proverbial wall through solid acting, I don't know if I ever will. I don't blame the casting director for that selection, but I question the relevance of Gale in the adapted storyline, that's all.

As I was watching the film, I kept trying to remember what had happened in the book, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had forgotten. I'm not sure if that bodes well for the plot or not. I found the ending a perfect segue to the third film, but I also remember how much I didn't like reading Mockingjay. Here's hoping that the Lawrences and others can pull together a solid grand finale and if nothing else, it is certain to make billions of dollars. My wife loved the film, but I found it a bit lackluster. I found the simplicity of the first film's plot refreshing, and there is always the sophomore slump to contend with. All things considered however, this was a very well done film. Great cast, great action, great screenwriting by Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours) and Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine, Oblivion). You know you're going to see it. 8/10.

Thor: The Dark World

I discovered two things about myself while watching the famous Norse god from the Avengers tonight: 1. I have new motivation to go to the gym. Chris Hemsworth is ridiculous. 2. I know how my future wake looks; Traditional viking warrior funeral. Broad sword clasped with both hands across the chest, pushed off to Valhalla on a raft out to sea, ceremonially lit on fire. Epic if it ever was.

Anyway, Thor 2 brings us back to the land of Norse legends, Asgard. Thor is once again fighting the evil that traverses the nine realms (including Earth) and this time there is a cool evil smoke spirit called Aether that is being pursued by the dark elf lord, Malekith, played brilliantly by former Dr. Who Christopher Eccleston. Meanwhile, Thor's human crush, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) is still researching quantum physics and finds herself in the mix. Loki is still locked up from the Avengers, and Thor's parents are worried about the future of their planet. Of course, only Thor can save the universe from the forces of evil, and through plenty of eyegasmic fight scenes, he flexes his muscles and leads us to the next stopping point in this magical journey that has spanned several heroes and even more films over the past five years since 2008's Iron Man. In scenes reminiscent of Avengers' climactic New York battle, the nine realms lay victim to the might of Thor's hammer, and Malekith's smoke monster spirit magic. And of course, Loki is the wild card as the adopted brother with continually conniving agendas.

The film ends with the Marvel staple story continuation at the end of the credits, this time leading us to a segue into the Guardians of the Galaxy universe (http://www.hitfix.com/news/what-was-benecio-del-toro-doing-in-the-thor-the-dark-world-credits) Chris Pratt and an intergalactic team of aliens, including a tree-man voiced by Vin Diesel, and a raccoon with guns voiced by Bradley Cooper. It's coming at the end of next Summer, keeping with Marvel's consistent timeline (Captain America in April, X-Men in June, G of the G in August. They are keeping busy, but with Iron Man 3's box office showing ($409 domestic, $1.215 billion global), and now Thor 2's $86 million domestic opening (almost $330 million in less than 2 weeks internationally) they need to keep cranking these money makers as long as the audience keeps showing up.

Chris Hemsworth is enormous. Of course they throw in a shirtless scene, but if I had his upper body, I would probably demand to do the whole film shirtless. He's the perfect fit for Thor, and the best lines of the film are his perfectly timed deadpan interactions with the humans. He's a major action star who has the face, body, and acting that will take him down the road of Dwayne, Arnold, or Sly. He's going to be one of the major faces of action for the next decade if he plays his cards right. He's smart to ride out this Thor/Avengers thing though as there is one more Thor in the works (after the box office success, you can pretty much count on it) and at least one more Avengers, but count on two or more.

The rest of the cast does a nice job. It's still odd to see Anthony Hopkins as Odin, and Idris Elba and Renee Russo get a little more screen time this time around as more of the film centers in the realm of Asgard. The rest of the cast from the first Thor return including Kat Dennings, Stellan Skarsgard, Ray Stevenson, Jaime Alexander, and a few others. They are mostly padding for a rich, action driven film that is fantastical at least, and a vehicle to add more story before the next Avengers at best. Personally, I'm waiting to see what the new Marvel crew does with Hulk. It's been tried twice in the past decade or so, but the job the visual effects team and Mark Ruffalo did in Avengers was terrific, so it's always a possibility that they will sneak it into a franchise.

Alan Taylor is an experienced director mostly with high profile and award-winning television shows, and is an interesting choice to follow up Kenneth Branagh's first iteration. I like what Marvel is doing by getting fresh directors to keep the various cyclic franchises from getting stale. Their business model for sequels is both innovative and brilliant, and they seem to have struck a market niche that DC and WB are desperately trying to emulate. Unfortunately, they are lagging behind, and their failure to get Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Flash, and even Aquaman off the ground is going to doom the Justice League dream. Batman vs. Superman will be the make or break film of the comic book space race, and if they are smart, they'll introduce more than a couple of the other characters in more than cameos. They need to get some starpower to back up Affleck and Cavill as well, and Jaime Alexander would be an amazing Wonder Woman, but success lies in Green Lantern and Flash.

Three things didn't sit well with me. First, Sif, Thor's gorgeous warrior companion is much more suitable and attractive than Natalie Portman's character. Sorry Jane Foster, you're a human, and you haven't been rumored to be playing Wonder Woman in DC's upcoming film (possibly making an early appearance in Batman vs. Superman). It's a subtly hinted love triangle, and possible fodder for future storylines. Second, Thor is just too bipolar in his invincible Moljnir-wielding god, or vulnerable brutish brawler. He seems to vacillate between the two at will, and when the situation demands it, he turns on the Thunder God and summons lightning at will. Thirdly, I'm not impressed with Loki's seemingly endless amounts of trickery that seems to have no limitations. Frankly, I'm getting tired of him already. Tom Hiddleston is great, but his turn has ended. Give us some new characters! I'm not a Marvel aficionado and never really read the comics, but there are literally thousands of characters to choose from, and fanboys and girls love when the storylines mirror the comics, but newsflash; it doesn't have to. Take a few liberties and give us some new blood on both sides of the fight. Don't get me wrong, Malekith was pretty cool and his unstoppable minion reminded me of the LOTR orc captain, but Loki is overdone. Enigmatic and charismatic as he is, three films for one bad guy is too much unless his name starts with Darth.

All in all, it's the second of the winter action blockbusters (Ender's Game, Hunger Games, Hobbit 2) and it's pretty cool. A bit darker than the first, but it's the Dark World, so what do you expect? Next up is Captain America: The Winter Soldier and it looks pretty fun as well, but I'm mostly excited to see Anthony Mackie as the Falcon. You know you can't resist the Marvel movies, but don't be like the girls behind us and don't talk through the whole thing, and stay until the end of the credits as usual. Am I turning into a Marvel nerd? Maybe so. 8/10.

12 Years a Slave

Based on the Solomon Northup autobiography, 12 Years a Slave chronicles the life of a free black New York man in the 1840's after he is kidnapped and sold into slavery in the deep south. It's a heavy-handed rendering, and at times is even a bit gratuitous in its violence and grittiness, but Steve McQueen wanted to paint a realistic picture, and he certainly did that.

Steve McQueen is no stranger to controversy, as his 2011 Indy breakout, Shame attests. He is one of Michael Fassbender's favorite directors, having worked together three times so far, and Michael Fassbender is one of the hottest names in Hollywood right now. Despite the lackluster reviews of The Counselor (which I still haven't seen yet, even though it's a collaboration of some of my favorites), he has the new X-Men coming next year, is playing MacBeth, and has been working with Terrence Malik in a promising untitled film that will come out next year. If that weren't enough, he's signed on for Prometheus 2, and piques my curiosity as the leading candidate for 2015's Assassin's Creed, a hugely successful video game franchise. His range of role selection is commendable, he's taking on all genres, working with a multitude of strong directors, and is climbing his way up the ladder, showing that the current trio of Germanic actors (Fassbender, Daniel Bruhl, Christoph Waltz) can hang with the Americans just fine. Fassbender channels controlled racist rage and 1840's southern values frighteningly. It must have been a very difficult role to play, but he will likely receive a supporting actor nomination for his work.

Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as Solomon Northup in a bold and unflinching performance filled with such a range of emotion that it's almost impossible not to fall into the time. Ejiofor is a recognizable face from his vast body of work, and he hides his British accent well (as most Brit actors are able to). He challenges the viewer to believe in the injustice and plight that his character is enduring, and I can't imagine another actor pulling off the role quite so viscerally. He will certainly get a Best Actor nomination, but the film's "tough pill to swallow" will probably lose some of the academy votes.

Where the film falters is in the pacing and the dialogue. We are shuttled back and forth in time with no real guidance, and the twelve years goes by without any real sense of seasonal change. What did the slaves do during the harsh winter months? When the fields were tended, what happened? We don't develop any sort of relationship with the slaves, and maybe that's how it was; impersonal because they were treated as property and came and went from season to season. We reach the end of the film and it seems like it's been one long year. There's no aging and no real evidence of the physical toll that his time took on him. The reunion with his family should have been orchestrated more intentionally. It was an opportunity to give the film its finest moment, but it was wasted, dragged down by the heaviness and self-loathing regret shown by Solomon.

Don't get me wrong, there are moments of fantastic film making, and even more fantastic acting. It just had too many moments that could have been portrayed stronger. Chiwetel and Fassbender are terrific. 7/10.

Ender's Game

Gavin Hood's adaptation of the 1985 Orson Scott Card young adult classic sci-fi book of the same name brings us the anti-Katniss in deep space. A young boy with an unlikely combination of an unusually mature sense of compassion and a penchant for violent conflict resolution.

Ender Wiggin is a military strategy prodigy in a futuristic society that has been decimated by an alien attack, only to decide that the best defense against the second coming is in fact, as Whitney Houston claimed, the children are the future. Young kids' meddle is tested on Earth, and if they show promise, they are shuttled up to an advanced training facility dubbed "battle school". It's a pretty cool idea and the book paints a nearly impossible picture, but surprisingly, Gavin Hood handled the task about as well as I could have expected.

Asa Butterfield is the titular hero, playing a few years younger than his 16. He's got great poise for his age, and has some great experience working with quality actors and directors. For a young actor with an unfortunate name, he has a bright future. His shouting match with Harrison Ford got me thinking how amazing it must have been to be on set that day, and I found myself envious of his scenes with Ben Kingsley, who is a headscratcher as Mazer Rackham, a Maori war hero from the first alien invasion.

Hailee Steinfeld and Abigail Breslin play the young ladies, and it's crazy to think that Steinfeld was the breakthrough star of True Grit three whole years ago. She hasn't seemed to grow up, as she plays young and is still only 17. Breslin is a wasted character with just a few minutes of screentime, and the starpower could have been better spent elsewhere. Playing Ender's sister, there is never the emotional investment in the Wiggin family (parents, brother, or sister) as they aren't even eluded to throughout the film more than a couple of times in reference to Ender's divergent and exceptional personality.

Harrison Ford, Viola Davis, and Ben Kingsley play the adults, and they are on cruise control except for a few intense showings by Ford. It makes me wonder if he's working on a real comeback, as he took significant time off from high profile films in the early 2000's and has been on a tear this year with his great performance of Branch Rickey in 42, and some upcoming shows of range in Anchorman 2, Expendables 3, Indiana Jones 5, and Star Wars 7. Whew, that's a lot of numbers. Anyhow, with Abrams Star Wars VII announced to drop on 12/18/15, and rumors of a Han Solo stand alone, you can bet that Harrison Ford will be showing up in Hollywood quite a bit over the next 2 years.

Andrea Powell plays Ender's mother, Theresa, and for the record she is a Joan Allen doppelganger. Don't be surprised if you are fixated on her face. She looks nearly identical to Joan Allen ten to twenty years ago (sorry Joan - who's only nine years older).

Gavin Hood is rebuilding his directing career nicely after the impressive 2007 drama Rendition, and the absolutely terrible 2009 X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It nearly destroyed Hugh Jackman's career. Alright, not even close, but it was a terrible attempt at the first Marvel X-Men stand alone. It put the franchise on hold indefinitely after talks of a few others. Fortunately, America loves superheroes, although Gavin Hood's blown his chance at that career builder. Ender's Game however, he did a nice job considering the abundance of visual effects and literary interpretations. There was a good blend of staying true to the story, and eliminating scenes that didn't build to the climactic twist ending.

All in all, it was a really fun movie experience, but was a very average sci-fi film based off of some great source material. The book was better, but it usually is. 7/10.