Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I - Movie Review

Yes, I read the books.  I devoured them.  I loved them.  I have also really enjoyed the first two movies.

Now that that's out of the way, on to Mockingjay Part I.  Okay, I also loved this one.  This third installment finds Catniss the somewhat unwilling spokesperson for the rebel movement against the Capitol and in pain at the loss or peril of people she loves and/or feels responsible for.  It's definitely the darkest of this already darkly themed trilogy (the nerd in me wants to compare it to The Empire Strikes Back, but I digress).  We also see more Gale (Liam Hemsworth) and less Peeta for the first time, but Peeta's presence hangs heavily and constantly over Catniss and the viewer.  The rebellion may be the center of all action in Mockingjay Part I, but the Catniss and Peeta relationship is still central to the story.  Jennifer Lawrence is given more to do emotionally in this film and finally shows some range as Catniss, who heretofore looked to me like a character who could probably be played just as well by a variety of Hollywood ingenues. The addition of Julianne Moore as rebel alliance leader Coin is a welcome one, even without her signature red hair.  She predictably plays the aloof coldness from the book to perfection.  (Side note: I actually pictured Moore in the role when I read it, after the first movie had just come out - no joke.) On a sad note, every scene featuring Philip Seymour Hoffman hit me hard, right in the gut.

Overall, I think the book was translated well into this first installment and new immediately when I read the book that two movies would be justified, but I'm still wondering how they're going to pull off some of the scenes from the second half of the book without looking too comical.  However, there were a few larger changes in Mockingjay Part I that also make me wonder if there will be significant changes to the ending or at least to the through storyline before it's all said and done.  It was intense, and as evidenced by non-book readers that I was with, equally so, whether you've read the books or not, which I consider quite a feat in itself.  Mockingjay Part II is honestly the first non-TV sequel in years that I am going to be hanging on eagerly to see, not just because I simply enjoyed this movie so much, but because I desperately need to know the fates of those involved, like the good old days...okay, I'll say it, like the original Star Wars trilogy.

4 out of 5 stars

3 To See This Weekend!!

Rich Hill is a documentary that follows three disadvantaged young men who live in a town called Rich Hill, which is about 70 miles southwest of KC just on the MO side.  It won the U.S. Documentary prize at Sundance, but I’m not sure why.  There doesn’t seem to be a point.  It’s interesting and mostly sad, but it didn't look at a random set of kids in that town, it focused just on the most troubled and there was no arc or analysis at all.  It wasn't quite a commentary on poverty or parenting or mental illness either...but it is still in my thoughts so I can say it was absorbing.  The best contrast that was drawn in the film was between those kids and the annual 4th of July pie auction that brings in thousands of dollars each year. Clearly someone in that town has money to spend, so I think it would have been a better portrait if it also showed a child from the wealthier part of town and would be more of a real image of small town (or anytown) America - the haves AND the have-nots, living side by side yet ignoring each other and just going about their business. Ultimately, I think it just makes the “haves” who are watching it (and going to Sundance) feel like they are looking at the poorest town in America and when the lights come up, they can go about their normal lives.  I grew up in a very poor town myself, but there is always more to the story. There are recent updates on the three kids online too and it seems to only get worse for them, if you’re interested.

2.75 out of 5 stars

Guardians of the Galaxy is based on a comic book, but don’t let that scare you away (or draw you in).  Let it stand on its own, which it does very well.    This comic scifi adventure story of a ragtag set of thieves and assassins is thoroughly charming and enjoyable.  It has the feel of a modern Red Dwarf or Spaceballs, with all the necessary parallels with Star Wars thrown in.  Bradley Cooper as the Rocket the racoon is my favorite, but not for his sometimes spot on, if accidental, Gilbert Gottfried impression.  Unencumbered by his own good looks on screen, he seems free to express himself in ways not yet seen.  In this film, he essentially leads a successful version of the A-Team, for all his folly in the previous film of the latter.  For those of us of a certain age, the multitude of 80s references to music, toys and other pop culture of that time period abound in a very detailed way – not just your run of the mill allusions.  One final note, see the movie for this at least: Glenn Close (doing her own impression of herself from 101 Dalmations) says the word, “prick”.

3.25 out of 5 stars

Dolphin Tale 2 is a sequel to Dolphin Tale 1 (surprise!), which itself was based on the book which was based on the real life story of an injured dolphin who washes ashore and is taken in by a marine mammal hospital in Florida and helps tell the coming of age story of a young boy.  The story here is pretty much the same, but the boy is 3 years older.  This one tugs at the heartstrings just as well as the first, and the acting is just as bad, but it’s got that certain something anyway, darn it.  The two young leads are so bad they seem almost real, unlike their adult on screen counterparts (Ashley Judd, Harry Connick, Jr.  and Morgan Freeman), who must have signed on just to do something educational for children, because it wasn’t for the Lifetime movie dialog.  The real draw is the animals and new twist is somewhat reflective of the recent hullabaloo surrounding Sea World and last year’s documentary, Blackfish.  There are several plot developments focused on making sure the audience knows the hospital is doing everything by the book and putting the animals first, over humans or even money, and not doing anything against nature by keeping them there.  It wasn’t subtle, but I guess I prefer it to the reality of Sea World.

3 out of 5 stars

Planes: Fire & Rescue S'Movie Review

Full disclosure: I did not see the first Planes movie.  I was miraculously able to pawn that task off on another family member.  That said, I kind of really enjoyed this second movie.  It had a great story, with the heart and subtle humor of the first Cars movie, which it’s loosely based on.  Cars was so well written, I never expected much from sequels or spin offs, but somehow they managed to make another quality film.   

I’m a fan of puns and this movie was full of flying related humor that most children would miss, but is a prerequisite tongue-in-cheek aspect of these anthropomorphic animated films.  The fire fighting aspects of the plot (these planes are essentially fire jumpers) are actually pretty intense and with the current forest fires in the Northwest, I worried that even my 11 year old would be a little scared by it.  The soundtrack lends a hand to the enjoyment of the movie as well, in particular with the use strategic use of AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck”. 

Overall, it’s no 3D Dragon, but  I almost regret not seeing the first Planes movie…almost.

 

3.25 out of 5 stars