The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 Written by Danny Strong and Jon Kilik Directed by Francis Lawrence U.S.A., 2015 The anticipation that comes with the release of the final installment of a massively popular and beloved film franchise is always palpable. The Return of the King, Revenge of the Sith (Star Wars fans, at the …
With the recent cinematic release of the latest installment of The Hunger Games series, Mockingjay- Part 1, it seems to be the perfect time to look into some of the more predominant themes and allegorical references in this wildly popular franchise. Being that these films have been adapted from Suzanne Collin’s trilogy of bestselling …
We’re not even a year removed from The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and already Sony and Marvel are exploring new options on who could be the next webslinger. And we already have some insight that the next Spider-Man is going back to high school, and Dylan O’Brien (The Maze Runner) and Logan Lerman (Fury) are on …
The splitting of the conclusions of recent fantasy or sci-fi franchises into two parts (or more – looking at you, Peter Jackson) has been financially successful for Hollywood studios, but less so creatively. Only arguable trendsetter Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I proved a satisfying film in its own right by being so rich in character interplay and having an actual sense of progression. Mockingjay – Part I is heavy on character beats, but they are repetitive ones due to its limited scope through withholding all the big stuff until Part 2.
With I Am Legend and Constantine in his filmography, two not entirely successful features but both ones with impressive sequences here and there, director Francis Lawrence would seem an adequate fit for a populist sci-fi or fantasy franchise instalment.
We are living in a golden age of animation, yet so many people working at Hollywood’s studio-funded animation companies are content working in the realm of the familiar. Too frequently, new mainstream animated films are like a big bowl of soup, with countless flavors that you’ve tasted before tweaked only slightly to not be total carbon copies of something bigger and often better.
Red Dawn Directed by Dan Bradley Written by Carl Ellsworth and Jeremy Passmore USA, 2012 It may be fitting for a movie about American teenagers rising up against an evil foreign military to be juvenile, but that doesn’t make Red Dawn any more palatable. This remake of the 1984 film best known now as the …
Red Dawn Directed by Dan Bradley Written by Carl Ellsworth and Jeremy Passmore USA, 2012 Apparently, the original script for the 2012 remake of John Milius’ 1984 Red Dawn intended the invading forces to be Chinese, but MGM changed it to be North Koreans in post-production so as to not offend the ever-growing Chinese market; …
Detention Directed by Joseph Kahn Written by Joseph Kahn and Mark Palermo USA, 2011 Remember that scene in A Clockwork Orange when Alex, constrained and with eyes pried open, is forced to watch nasty bits of ultra-violence underscored by Ludwig van’s 9th symphony 4th movement? Well, replace ultra-violence with ultra-style and Beethoven with some Backstreet …
For fans of all films macabre, The Toronto After Dark Film Festival is the venue for you. But for those that can’t wait until October for nine nights of horror, sci-fi, action and cult movies running from the 18th to the 26th, the good people behind TADFF have answered your counter intuitive prayers. For two …
The Hunger Games Written for the screen by Suzanne Collins, Gary Ross and Billy Ray Directed by Gary Ross USA, 2012 In the dystopian, totalitarian nation of Panem, a wealthy capital city rules over an impoverished nation of districts. As penance for a previous rebellion, every year sees each district forced to enter two adolescents …
The Hunger Games Written by Suzanne Collins, Billy Ray, and Gary Ross Directed by Gary Ross USA, 2012 The opening minutes of Gary Ross’s adaptation of the teen-lit phenom The Hunger Games make it clear that Ross has brought serious consideration to what could easily have been a cashed-in afterthought of a movie. Our first …
The Hunger Games Directed by Gary Ross Screenplay by Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins and Billy Ray 2012, USA In a dystopian future, the Capitol of the nation of Panem randomly selects twenty-four of the country’s youngest inhabitants to fight to the death in a yearly event titled The Hunger Games. The film’s tagline – “The …