The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2

Dustin: 3.5 of 5 stars Nick: 3 of 5 stars Average: 3.25 of 5 stars (Woozy canary)

Dustin: The Hunger Games - Part 4: Mockingjay - Part 2 is the last installment in The Hunger Games trilogy for real this time. Jennifer Lawrence reprises her role as Katnip Evergreen in her personal quest to kill President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and bring balance to Panem.

Nick: I have to admit I am so happy this series is finally over with until of course they remake it in 10 years. Though I must admit I’m waiting for this whole YA franchise-into-movies thing to end even more. The Hunger Games is easily the best out of all the genre, but it still tries so hard to evoke drama that it feels more like a soap or Lifetime film rather than a drama on the silver screen.

Dustin: I’m getting tired of these YA movies too. Admittedly, I’ve only seen this series, the first Divergent movie, and The Host. They all pretty much follow the same formula, and I mentally check off each item as I sit through them. Pretty girl with bland personality who turns out to be somehow more specialer than everyone (check), some kind of training montage (check), two hunky male love interests (check, check). The best thing I’d say about the Hunger Games movies is that they do the formula better than the others.

Nick: I’m in agreement for the most part but there are so many grandstands and speeches in this film meant to give hope or drive a character forward that it becomes an even more diluted version of the drama it’s trying to create. As well every time there was a character telling another “Don’t worry everything is going to be alright,” I turned to my mom and said, “So, that character is going to die!” and they sure enough did. Also whenever there is a wedding between two tertiary characters one of them will surely end up dead. (R.I.P. Remus and Tonks)

Dustin: That’s a pretty famous trope.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 should have been combined into one film called The Hunger Games: Mockingjay. Both movies had long spells that just dragged. I remember spending a lot of time during this one with my head resting on my hand just waiting for the movie to get to the point.

Nick: Though Harry Potter did the same thing with more of a reason (700 pages), it also stalled in its first Part 1 (my least favorite in that series) and the same happened with Hunger Games. The first part was such a drag with no uptempo, while this film drags a lot between its interesting action sequences. The best thing about this series is the casting of brilliant, established actors like Sutherland, Julianne Moore, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Philip Seymour Hoffman and of course Lawrence while mixing with lesser known brilliant actors like Jena Malone, Elden Henson, Robert Knepper and Elizabeth Banks. They all do a good job, but their dialogue (which isn’t their fault) sometimes made me laugh for the wrong reason and kept me from EVER being truly instilled in the drama. Though Sutherland truly is remarkable as Snow.

Dustin: The all-star cast certainly lends these films some street-cred. I hated President Snow, and that is a testament to Sutherland’s performance. I couldn’t even recognize the smartalek character I loved in MASH (granted, that film is 45-years-old).

It’s interesting you compared this to the last Harry Potter, because like Harry Potter, this movie also had a pointless epilogue, which I will go ahead and spoil because it was truly pointless. Does the audience really care Katnip will go on to get married and have two kids?

Nick: It should have ended right before that with her in bed with the man she loves, but I think it went on to do that to end the film on a happier note, which I’m assuming the only thing the writer could think of was “Let's give her kids! Everyone is happier with kids! Especially two people with extreme PTSD.”

Dustin: I also thought when it cut to black right before the epilogue that was a perfect ending point. I groaned when the sunny meadow came up. The scene right before that was tender, but also had an ellipsis. The tweenage girls who are the most devoted fans of the series might wanted a happy note to end on, but I didn’t find the epilogue convincing, and it was pointless to boot. I could imagine if Stanley Kubrick had directed these, the epilogue would have been Katnip and Peeta in some kind of couples counseling for PTSD.

Nick: The most jarring concept to me was the character of Tygress. I only assume that’s how it’s spelled considering what series we are watching. Why couldn’t it have just been a normal (for Hunger Games) looking person instead of a seemingly spliced half-tiger, half-human character, which I had not seen any character look like throughout the series. Maybe I missed the spliced characters from before, but it sure didn’t stick out like Tygress (Taigriss).

Dustin: Well, there are people with body modifications in the real world too, and it’s jarring to see them at the mall, liquor stores, job interviews. But that is a funny point. Right after they take shelter with Tigris (thank you, Hunger Games wikia), Katnip and Gale put on a disguise to slip into the crowd taking shelter at President Snow’s mansion. Their disguise is a large black hooded jacket. I’m sorry, but I think the Storm Troopers, I mean, Peace Keepers, would be well within their rights to shoot them and ask questions later. In a city where outlandish makeup and hairstyles are the norm, they go with the most suspicious-looking cover ever. Were the writers lazy or just stupid?

Nick: I think the writer(s) were constantly lazy. When the twin sisters were left in the building of the rebels’ last known location they could have carried the wounded sister to the building across the street with them and left her there, which would have been at least a logical move. Also the most combat-ready character with the most experience is the one who runs head-first into a possibly mined area and dies. Also when the character who has been brainwashed and is hitting his head against his own gun you might want to put him in handcuffs. Also when Gale tells Peeta I’ll take you out if that time ever comes, so you mean the guy in your squad that he just killed wasn’t enough? I feel like I could go on and on and I don’t know who to blame, the writer of the book or of the movie? I get it, it’s nitpicking, but when the entire film can be nitpicked it’s kind of a problem.

Dustin: I have a feeling the problem stems from the books. I doubt these movies strayed too far from the source material given the fanbase they had to please. I think a lot of the writing had to come from the hack mind of Suzanne Collins. Men simply don’t talk like the characters in this movie. Two male rivals don’t sit down and talk about their feelings, or ask others what they’re thinking. Especially when they come from a dystopian future where you have to play everything close to the chest as your true thoughts can get you killed.

Nick: Long Live the End of The Hunger Games! Both the game and the book and movie series. Another part I found amusing was when Coin was afraid of the support Katniss had and was hoping she would die, yet she gave her the honor of killing Snow in front of all the unified forces. Would that not make her even more popular?! Also, the fact Coin stood on a ridge right above Snow with her hands outraised made that scene so ridiculous. It would have been better if she was standing far far behind Katniss on a ridge over-looking the scene and Katniss turns around and lets the arrow go quickly. Instead of a close up on Katniss, her obvious lifting of the arrow and letting that arrow go towards Coin. It was a very bland moment that should have been huge! It might have been bland because it was so obviously going to happen with everyone talking shit on Coin while later in the film she became a tyrant like Snow. I also love the way people die in films like this so beautiful and gracefully. Julianne Moore falls from the high-up ridge after being shot with the arrow and falls on a thin piece of cut stone laying there as if she had died of a heart attack.

Dustin: There was one set piece I loved in this movie, and that was the one regarding the lizard mutts chasing Katnip and the gang through the sewers. It was an intense, nightmarish scene that got my heart racing. It was like something out of a different movie.

Nick: It was a very well filmed and intense scene, but also had many obvious moments. When the new leader was the only character left on the other side of the stone wall while not a single other character aiming their gun through the hole to protect her! (These are all trained in combat people, besides Peeta). And also the death of the character who was married early on in the film. The way it was filmed kept telling me this is the scene where he would die. Maybe only film students would notice that, but it kept showing him more and more isolated. While it’s also a thing that a tertiary character who is kicking a lot of ass in a battle will more than likely end up getting hurt or dead and he of course was the only one kicking ass!

Dustin: I also liked the twist at the end. I won’t spoil it, but I guess it shouldn’t have come as a surprise Julianne Moore’s character (Hillary Clinton) turned out to be a duplicitous politico. Or that the rebels would turn into Robespierres as soon as they took over. I guess I did spoil it…

Nick: I already spoiled it! But not really! From early on the film sets up Coin as the real enemy who needs to be defeated by end. And she is, but in a very bland scene that lacks any true emotional weight.

Dustin: Suzanne Collins spoiled it when she consciously ripped off Battle Royale.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1

Dustin: 3.5 of 5 stars Nick: 2 of 5 stars Average: 2.75 of 5 stars (Woozy Canary)

Dustin: The new Hunger Games movie doesn’t actually feature any Hunger Games. This is a welcome direction for the series, as the second movie had a “here we go again!” feeling. This time around, survivors of the Hunger Games join the Rebel Alliance in District B13 to overthrow the Big Brother government oppressing the world.

Nick: I normally disagree with Matt Zoller Seitz, from rogerebert.com, he basically wrote my review of Mockingjay Part 1. The only part I disagree with is when he cites Harry Potter as another book that needlessly became two movies. The Mockingjay book is under 400 pages, while Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is more than 750. One of these is a more obvious cash grab… The films lacks action. It keeps promising action, but when we get to the scene it’s either after all the action or we follow Katniss who is nowhere near the action.  

Dustin: I actually thought this movie was better than Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (my least favorite of the Harry Potter films). Both seemed like half a book stretched out to a movie. The first act of Mockingjay, especially, was slow and should have been trimmed. I haven’t read any of the Hunger Games books, but for the most part, it seemed like there was enough story here to make two movies. But I’ll reserve judgement on that until I see Part 2. Having said that, I thought Deathly Hallows: Part 2 was the best of the Harry Potter movies, so I sort of forgave them for splitting the book in half.

Nick: I agree that Deathly Hallows: Part 1 was the worst in the HP series, and this film isn’t the worst in its own series, but I still like DHp1 more because the HP films actually had me caring about its characters enough to follow them through that very boring movie. While MJp1 was long and boring while following characters who never grow enough in order for me to care.

Dustin: There was actually a guy a few seats to my left who fell asleep. I imagine he just brought his daughters and then mentally checked out. Other than the first act, I didn’t think this movie dragged too much. Some scenes with the cat could have been cut, as well as the portions of Katnip Evergreen becoming the Mockingjay for the Rebel Alliance’s PR campaign. Overall, I found it suspenseful, and I enjoyed the scenes with the Storm Troopers.

Nick: Please stop the Star Wars analogies! The male characters in the love triangle might be the blandest options in love triangle history, and yes, I’m including the constantly awful Twilight. The characters just are bounce cards for Katniss, and when the characters are on screen all they do is look at Katniss while smouldering. Is she the only available woman of that age group? Because, damn, there are slightly more pressing issues going on!

Dustin: Agreed. The love triangle subplot, which I believe we also complained about with the last movie, seems like it was included as part of a formula. I can’t really describe the Liam Hemsworth character without only mentioning his appearance. Any character could have accomplished his basic part in the story without the inclusion of the love triangle.

Nick: I’d argue the love triangle is only a subplot since more time is given to it than the “plot.”

As you mentioned in the intro, I as well enjoyed the break from the Hunger Games, but it makes me wish they’d have started that with the second film instead of having us watch two Hunger Games, which was pretty pointless. I really enjoy Donald Sutherland as President Snow, but in saying that, his character is very much like every bad guy who thinks they have the upperhand. He barely gets any screentime to grow his character, but what he does with it is exceptional. I like the idea of what happens to Peeta, but I don’t like that being the conflict/somewhat resolution of the movie. I thought it was obvious what was happening to him after the first time he appeared, and yet the film treats it as if its a mystery. I also liked Katniss being used as a “Face” for the war, but that idea gets a lot of screentime, which kind of kicks you in the face with what the film is trying to say. There’s a lot of great ideas going on within the film, but it always ends with me saying but what if…

Dustin: I didn’t consider they could’ve just cut the second movie, but now you mention it, I believe they could have. Just like they could have cut Star Wars: Episode I since it doesn’t accomplish anything that Episode II didn’t, and I promise that’s my last Star Wars reference in this review.

Nick: Oh, and all the nicknames everyone has for each other is really annoying! Little Duck! Your sister is becoming a doctor, motherfucker! And you treat her like she’s 7!

The first part of the movie was actually the most engrossing for me, which I believe is the part you did not like. It was promising more would happen and yet nothing really came to fruition or changed. This left me very unfulfilled by film’s end or it might have been a film I enjoyed.  

Dustin: If we’d gone into this movie not knowing it was half a book made into one movie, do you think we’d be more forgiving of the pace?

Nick: I wouldn’t,but that’s because there is no conflict/resolution that actually starts within this film or ends. We say it’s rescuing Peeta, but is that really a big enough deal for one entire movie?

Dustin: I thought Katnip’s song in the middle was kind of catchy. For those who haven’t seen the movie yet, it basically plays to the tune of Pharrell Williams’s “Happy,” but replaces the word “happy” with “hungry.” (I don’t remember exactly how the song went, so I had to invent something that would sound catchy.)

Nick: That was my favorite scene as well. She is singing and everyone listens. The idea adds depth, but once again the camera does the wrong thing and does a one-shot that goes to every individual character multiple times while showing Cressida telling the cameramen what to do in that situation. Instead of going to each character for their reactions, which is very Shonen anime,  they could have had all the characters doing their own thing to the side of Katniss with a wide shot and then switch to a one-shot of the characters a couple of times. Though we do get more shots of Gale (Hemsworth) smouldering away, which we definitely needed.

Dustin: The Hunger Games - Part 3: Catching Fire - Part 1 is a decent continuation of the Hunger Games series, but suffers from “middle movie syndrome.” I should also mention it’s the second best movie featuring the talents of both Philip Seymour Hoffman and Julianne Moore.

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Dustin: 4 of 5 stars Nick: 3.5 of 5 stars Average: 3.75 of 5 stars (Live canary)

Dustin: The latest X-Man film has the Wolverine’s consciousness sent back to his 1973 self to prevent a catastrophic war in which mutant robots destroy the world while wiping out mutant humans. The Wolverine must rally the forces of two enemies, Professor Xavier (James McAvoy/Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender/Ian McKellen), so their future selves can become BFFs (see Image 1).

Image 1. Actual screenshot from X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Source: twitter.com/SirPatStew

Dustin: So Nick, what did you think of X-Men 7: Days from the Future in the Past?

Nick: A little disappointed, but overall satisfied. Since there are so many characters in the past and future, little is seen of each. While Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) appears the most, it wouldn't be surprising to find out he has the least amount of dialogue of any character. The same could be said of Mystique. We see her a lot, but not too much comes out of her mouth. Or maybe it just feels that way since she is always in a different face.

Dustin: That somewhat sums up my criticism of the entire X-Men universe. There are so many characters, some with multiple powers that sometimes feel made up on the spot, none of them can be more than a plot device, and newbies might feel lost. The reason I never got into the cartoon as a kid was because I gave it a couple attempts and just couldn’t understand the characters or what was going on.

This film, however, does a decent job balancing the characters with the plot. Some characters will probably confuse those who’ve never seen an X-Men film (like the Asian X-(Wo)Man who can apparently open portals in thin air). But most of the screen time is devoted to X-Men who don’t require an explanation, like Wolverine or the Beast.

Nick: While your argument is mostly correct, I would prop up X2 as a shining example of a film that has a plethora a characters, but all follow the same path and it’s ultimately the first Wolverine film. That film follows Wolverine trying to find his “creator.” The rest of the cast is trying to stop the same guy because he threatens all mutants. This is actually brought up in this film quite a lot and makes the secondary bad guy Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage). Every X-Men film should be about one of the many character’s stories with the others going in and out.

Did you notice the actors’ names? The Asian X-Woman you speak of is Blink. Her real name is Bingbing Fan, and Warpath is played by Booboo Stewart. Love the latter’s name!

Dustin: I noticed that when I looked at the cast on IMDb to get the spelling of their names right. I liked that Bingbing and Booboo were an effective pair in the film.

I think this film was emotionally satisfying in the arcs of the main characters, especially Professor X and Mystique (America’s Sweetheart, Jennifer Lawrence). I thought they also did interesting things with young Magneto (Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave). You never know whether he will commit to the good side.

Nick: Really?! I think you can always know he will do the bad thing. Though, I read the comics, watched many different cartoons, seen all the movies, and even had a Where’s Waldo version of X-Men (which I need to find). The only reason it may seem as if Magneto will do the good thing is because of how much belief (albeit false) Xavier has in him. He obviously only realizes the errors of his ways too late. This film sometimes felt like the James Bond story arc I talked about during World War Z. They kept traveling from one exotic location to fuck some shit up. I’ve read many interviews where directors admit to doing this because they like to travel and go places they have never been. Sometimes during Days of Future Past it seems like that.

Dustin: That’s one of the things I actually liked about this film: the variety of shots. You have the bleak future shots, the 1970s New York locations, ‘Nam, Paris, Washington, D.C. I can imagine the director likes to travel, but somehow I doubt they actually visited all those places. The Chinese future sets could have been CGI, you didn’t see enough of ‘Nam to believe it wasn’t filmed on a California backlot.

Nick: I’m not talking about the bleak future setting or the ‘Nam setting, but when Magneto tried to kill Mystique in Paris and Trask is there and the scene cuts through televised images that go to the White House where Nixon (Mark Camacho) is watching. All of sudden Trask is in that room! So Nixon waited like a week to be like what are we going to do about this? Trask was also in Paris to try to give his weapons to the Russians and the Vietnamese, so why did it need to take place in France? The crew actually didn’t fly to many places. From my research I could only find information that most of, if not all, the film was shot in Canada. I was commenting on the feeling of the pointlessness of saying you are in France selling weapons to Russians and the Vietnamese and then segue shot to the same character selling the same weapons to Nixon. How many scenes were of Trask selling his Sentinels (mutant robots)?

Dustin: I think this film did a good job balancing the light and dark elements, especially after the recent Marvel comic book movie, The Amazing Spider-Man 2. The comedy scenes were very well done (Quicksilver breaking into the Pentagon was easily my favorite sequence, Evan Peters stole the show for the few scenes he was in, which is saying a lot). The humorous scenes added variety to the experience of the film, rather than clashing horribly in tone like the new Spider-Man 2.

Nick: Certainly the funniest film I have had the pleasure of seeing in 2014. Quicksilver did steal the show, and when he asked about their flight plans, I almost thought he was going to go with them, but sadly he didn’t. DOFP did balance humor with darkness wonderfully. So many scenes were funny, but then some major characters (while in CGI mode) were torn in half, burned alive or beheaded. The film never lost momentum nor felt disjointed. Bryan Singer is a welcome relief in the director’s chair. Singer directed the first two X-men films, and now he returns for DOFP. One of my favorite sequences was Magneto calmly walking down a corridor in stylish ‘70s garb while playing with two magnetized floating balls. The scene was shot with humor and mystery. The camera was low, which made him seem like such a large presence. The outfits were immense, especially whenever young Xavier looked like a pornographer with his ‘70s threads, long hair, drugged-out face and dirty facial hair.

Dustin: I think young Xavier might have actually been Lt. Dan.

Nick: The drug-addled Xavier was a bit much for a film already spending so much time on other “important” quests. While I liked the idea, the fact that he is supposed to be addicted, but quits because Wolverine emphatically for the fifth time tells Xavier he needs his powers (which he loses if he’s using). They could have had more fun with it like after he says he is going to quit and he uses his powers some, but later when needing his powers he says he is not able again. It felt forced into the film for what addiction is and how it's portrayed.

Dustin: My main criticism of the film is perhaps the epilogue. The only other X-Men films I’ve seen are the first one and The Wolverine (which I made a point of seeing because it stars my sister-in-law--look for her in the background during the scene in Ueno Station). I wanted to go back and watch the rest of the films, but this one, without getting too deep into spoiler territory, seemingly undid the outcomes of previous films during the epilogue. This will definitely take away my suspense if I go back to watch them.

Nick: You should definitely watch X2 (it is still my favorite) and X-Men: First Class. If anything they will give you more appreciation for the subtle comedy and shock throughout this movie.

Dustin: I’d recommend this film to general audiences. It was funny, exciting and pleasing; and you don’t have to be a fanboy to enjoy this film.

American Hustle

Dustin: 5 of 5 stars Nick: 4.5 of 5 stars Average: 4.75 of 5 stars (Tweety canary)

 
Dustin: Hey Nick, what did you think of Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones? 

Nick: I didn’t think of it. I haven’t seen it. Have you? 

Dustin: As if I’d waste one second of my life watching that turd. So let’s talk about American Hustle instead. 

Nick: David O. Russell’s film is “based on a true story” about a con man (Christian Bale) and woman (Amy Adams) who are forced by a glory seeking FBI agent (Bradley Cooper) into ousting corrupt politicians. 

Dustin: “Some of this actually happened.”

This might have been the best movie of the year. It was hilarious and it unfolded cleverly. I loved the character study. Unlike 12 Years a Slave, where all the characters were black or white, this story has Italians, Jews, Mexicans, and morally, they all are shades of gray. Christian Bale says several times he sees the world only in shades of gray, and that really comes across with these complex characters. 

Nick: If there was a ever a line I never knew where a character stood. 

Dustin: You have Bale’s character, Rosenfeld, an unscrupulous con man who has a soft spot for the mayor he’s setting up, Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner). Polito is corrupt, but he genuinely cares about people, especially his constituents. Amy Adams plays Sydney Prosser, a con artist even more skilled than Rosenfeld whose dishonesty is really a survival instinct. Bradley Cooper is an FBI agent who is overly ambitious and quickly gets himself into more trouble than he can handle. Finally, Jennifer Lawrence in a secondary role almost steals the movie as Bale’s ditzy wife. She has to be one of the most versatile actresses around today. 

Nick: While Lawrence has been slightly glorified in the past, I would never argue against her getting any award for this film. The film was definitely the best cast of the year. Everyone was well suited to their roles even the minor ones like Louis C.K.! That’s right, Louis C.K. is in the film quite a bit and adds great character to the “No” man above Cooper’s hot-shot copper. 

Dustin: Louis C.K. is probably the only one who could have pulled off that role. His lines were quite funny, but he delivered them dry enough that they got laughs without breaking the tone of the movie. 

Nick: The cast is so well done that I couldn’t imagine anyone else playing any of these roles.  The actors became the characters. 

Dustin: Christian Bale quite literally became his character, packing on quite a few pounds. I imagine he must’ve eaten a quart of ice cream a day for months to get that belly. I wouldn’t be surprised if he even got circumcised to portray his Jewish character. The way he goes all out for his roles, like in The Machinist, is part of what makes his movies so appealing.

The Machinist (2004)

Batman Begins (2005)

American Hustle (2013)

Nick: I couldn’t tell if it was a fat suit or not. I know he always transforms himself, but normally there will be all this news around how he’s losing/gaining weight for a film and nothing caught my eye. Still, not only is he able to achieve the body type he is always able to mentally get there as well. 

Dustin: If there was anything that didn’t work for you in this movie, what was it? 

Nick: There was nothing substantial in the misfiring department, but if complaining is necessary (it is) than I’d say the pacing was slightly off, the film was slightly too long and the climax was satisfactory, but not exceptional. 

Dustin: I agree the film felt a little long, but I don’t really care since I enjoyed it so much. I think I did look at my watch twice to try to figure out what act we were in. I agree the climax wasn’t exceptional, but I’ll say it was pleasing. I was worried this movie could end with a dud, but it wrapped things up in a satisfying way, so I was glad the preceding two hours wasn’t wasted. 

Nick: It was interesting that I as well never knew what act the film was in. That makes the film stronger to me in a way because its setting things up but not in an obvious way to where you say to yourself “this is obviously the rising action.” The whole film felt like the rising action. 

Dustin: This is the first film we’ve given the “Tweety canary” status to. Our mark of quality. Everyone should go see this movie.