THE HUNGER GAMES : MOCKINGJAY Pt. 2' - Thursday 19th November 2015.

On 25th November 2014 I said this : 'And so the third film in the series and the first half of the concluding episode - 'THE HUNGER GAMES : MOCKINGJAY Pt. 1' left me feeling underwhelmed I have to say. This film is the meat in the sandwich well & truly, sitting between the spectacle and the bravura of 'Catching Fire' and what will undoubtedly be a climactic all guns blazing epic conclusion that is 'Mockingjay Pt. 2' . . . one year from now with its release on 19th November 2015'. Back then I awarded 'Mockingjay Pt.1' three claps of the clapperboard, and off a US$125M budget went on to gross US$756M at the global Box Office. So on opening night in Australian Odeon's this week I saw the final instalment in this franchise - 'THE HUNGER GAMES : MOCKINGJAY Pt. 2', which had it's worldwide Premier in Berlin on 4th November and was released stateside only on 20th November with financial expectations running high.

This film leads on directly from the end of the last film with Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutchinson) still strapped to a chair recovering from his torturous treatment back in The Capitol where he was brainwashed to turn against Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and kill her - a fact he is not backward in coming forward with when Prim Everdeen (Willow Shields) reaches out to him in an attempt to determine how his recovery treatment is going. Realising that the connection they once shared Katniss seeks solace in long term friend and suitor Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth) and they venture to District 2 on the edge of The Capitol with the hope of rallying the resistance against President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and forging an alliance to gain further strength to overthrow The Capitol and everything it stands for, and liberate once and for all the downtrodden citizens of Panem. In the process Katniss is shot, hits the deck, but is saved by her bullet proof vest and wakes up very bruised and battered but safe at the hands of President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman).

Katniss takes her team into District 2, but is ordered not to engage with the resistance but rather be filmed every step of their way for television broadcast to rally the revolution against Snow and The Capitol. Needless to say upon entering The Capitol things don't go quite according to plan when they encounter the streets, buildings and city scape littered with booby traps and all manner of undesirable devices to thwart their progress. As the Team navigate onwards through in to the heart of The Capitol so they are picked off one by one including the leader designate Boggs (Mahersala Ali), then his 2i/c Commander Lyme (Gwendoline Christie) leaving Katniss in charge to now follow through and complete the mission - to kill Snow and restore democracy to Panem.

What follows is a series of set pieces in which Katniss and her remaining revolutionary followers - Gale, Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin), Cressida (Natalie Dormer), Castor (Wes Chatham), Pollux (Elden Henson) and Peeta who remains unhinged whilst still coming to terms with what is truth and what is fiction and his feelings for Katniss which he has only fleeting memories of. They continue their journey inching ever closer to Snow's palatial residence from which he continues to throw deadly obstacles in their way. In the meantime both Snow and Coin continue to broadcast propaganda messages out across the Districts in a show of oneupmanship.

At the gates of Snow's Capitol residence where he has offered sanctuary to the residents of The Capitol realising that the end is near, an attack is launched that takes out the men, women, children, young & old as Katniss and Gale are caught in the cross fire and are so close, but so far away! With Gale captured by the Peacekeepers, Katniss is rendered unconscious by a nearby bomb blast and wakes being nursed by her mother, with Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) looking on.

Katniss is advised that The Capitol was overthrown, Snow deposed and Coin has established herself as the interim President of Panem. Returning to Snow's former residence with calm and peace restored she roams the rooms, halls and grounds of the estate and comes across a handcuffed Snow in the greenhouse. They talk and he instills doubts in her mind about his motives and the interests of Coin. Later Coin wants to meet out justice on Snow and his followers at the hands of Katniss in an extraordinary Hunger Games in which Snow and Katniss are to be participants. Katniss agree to participate on the condition that she can kill Snow, to which Coin agrees.

In the final analysis it doesn't end well for the principle antagonists; Katniss gets her man; Panem enters a period of peace, calm, freedom and democracy; and she lives happily ever after returning to her family home in District 13 overlooking green pastures and clear blue skies for as far as the eye can see.

I saw this film in 3D only because the timing suited me, but it is not necessary and only a few scenes benefit from the clarity and depth of field. The story is everything you would expect and films 1&2 could easily have been rolled into one single offering, and so for me this is just another excuse for a Box Office money grab. Jennifer Lawrence is the standout and carries the film without doubt, and whilst the film looks good, the action set pieces are well delivered, the story is predictable and drawn out. It was good to see Philip Seymour Hoffman once more on the big screen in his last appearance, but I never got the sense that he was taking this role too seriously, unlike what we know he was capable of.

Therefore, in the final analysis, if you have seen the previous three films you should see this final offering to see how it all ends, but don't go into your local theatre expecting anything big. This is an acceptable end to the franchise (so far) and nothing more. It's worth seeing on the big screen, but you don't have to either.



-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 9th - 15th August 2015

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Jennifer Lawrence does on 15th August - check out the tribute to this Birthday Girl turning 25, at the end of this feature.

Do you also share your birthday with a well known, highly regarded & famous Actor or Actress; share your special day with a Director, Producer, Writer, Cinematographer, Singer/Songwriter or Composer of repute; or share an interest in whoever might notch up another year in the coming seven days? Then, look no further! Whilst there will be too many to mention in this small but not insignificant and beautifully written and presented Blog, here are the more notable and noteworthy icons of the big screen, and the small screen, that you will recognise, and that you might just share your birthday with in the week ahead. If so, Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online!

Sunday 9th August

• Gillian Anderson - Born 1968, turns 47 - Actress
• Anna Kendrick - Born 1985, turns 30 - Actress
• Rhona Mitra - Born 1976, turns 39 - Actress
• Audrey Tatou - Born 1976, turns 39 - Actress
• Melanie Griffith - Born 1957, turns 58 - Actress | Producer
• McG - Born 1968, turns 47 - Director | Producer
• Sam Elliott - Born 1944, turns 71 - Actor | Producer
• Eric Bana - Born 1968, turns 47 - Actor | Producer | Director

Monday 10th August

• Antonio Banderas - Born 1960, turns 55 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Brenton Thwaites - Born 1989, turns 26 - Actor
• Rosanna Arquette - Born 1959, turns 56 - Actress | Producer | Director

Tuesday 11th August

• Viola Davis - Born 1965m turns 50 - Actress | Producer
• Chris Hemsworth - Born 1983, turns 32 - Actor
• Ian McDiarmid - Born 1944, turns 71 - Actor
• Hulk Hogan - Born 1953, turns 62 - Actor | Wrestler

Wednesday 12th August

• George Hamilton - Born 1939, turns 76 - Actor | Producer
• Casey Affleck - Born 1975, turns 40 - Actor | Producer | Writer

Thursday 13th August

• Paul Greengrass - Born 1955, turns 60 - Director | Producer | Wreiter

 Friday 14th August

• Steve Martin - Born 1945, turns 70 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• James Horner - Born 1953, turns 62 - Composer | Songwriter
• Wim Wenders - born 1945, turns 70 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Mila Kunis - Born 1983, turns 32 - Actress
• Halle Berry - Born 1966, turns 49 - Actress | Producer
• Marcia Gay Harden - Born 1959, turns 56 - Actor

Saturday 15th August

• Jennifer Lawrence - Born 1990, turns 25 - Actress
• Debra Messing - Born 1968, turns 47 - Actress | Producer
• Natasha Hentsridge - Born 1974, turns 41 - Actress
• Nicolas Roeg - Born 1928, turns 87 - Director | Cinematographer
• Ben Affleck - Born 1972, turns 43 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Alejandro Gonzales Inaritu - Born 1963, turns 52 - Procucer | Director | Writer.

Jennifer Shrader Lawrence was born and grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, USA to mother Karen Koch - the manager and owner of a children's camp, and construction worker father Gary Lawrence. She has two older brothers - Ben and Blaine. Lawrence attended Kammerer Middle School in her home town and graduated two years ahead of time wanting to pursue a career in acting. Whilst at school she participated in softball, modelling, hockey and cheer leading, and having grown up just 15 minutes from a horse stud too she became proficient in horse riding, but none of these really interested her above her desire to act. She convinced her parents to take her to New York to locate a talent agent, which they did and with relative ease given the prowess for the craft that the young Lawrence was able to demonstrate.

Having been spotted by an acting agency her first television role came in an episode of 'Monk' in 2006, and then 'Cold Case' in 2007, with two on 'Medium' in 2007/08, with a minor role that same year in 'Garden Party' which was her big screen debut. From 2007-2009 she appeared in 'The Bill Engvall Show' over multiple episodes. During this time there was a meatier role in 'The Poker House', Directed by Lori Petty in 2008, which was her first starring role and for which she won an LA Film Festival Award. 'The Burning Plain' came next also in 2008 with Charlize Theron and Kim Bassinger which received mild critical reviews but failed commercially, and despite this she won an award at the Venice Film Festival for Best Emerging Actress.

What is often described as her breakout role came next in 2010 with 'Winter's Bone' which picked up the Best Picture Award at Sundance, and for her role she gained an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. 2011 delivered 'Like Crazy', a romantic drama; 'The Beaver' with Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster; and then 'X-Men : First Class' in her first outing as Raven/Mystique.






2012 was however, the game changer, as Lawrence snagged the lead role as Katniss Everdeen in the first of 'The Hunger Games' series which she was initially reluctant to take on given the enormity of the role, the physical requirements, and the expectations behind the film adaptation of the successful books. The extensive training regime she had to undertake paid off with a worldwide gross Box Office take of US$691M.

That same year also saw 'Silver Linings Playbook' with Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro in David O'Russell's acclaimed film. At just 22, Lawrence won both the Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Actress and was the second youngest actress to do so. Also that year came the psychological thriller 'The House at the End of the Street' and a year later she reprised her Katniss Everdeen role in 'The Hunger Games : Catching Fire' which outstripped the opening film with a Box Office haul of US$865M.

'American Hustle' followed in 2013 with Christian Bale, Jeremy Renner, Bradley Cooper and Amy Adams which garnered further acclaim with Best Supporting Actress nominations at The Golden Globes, Academy Awards and BAFTA's. 2014 saw a reprisal for her Raven/Mystique character in Bryan Singer's US$748M blockbuster 'X-Men : Days of Future Past', and then Katniss Everdeen in the first of the final 'The Hunger Games' films 'Mockingjay - Part 1' which cashed in at US$752M.


Next up is the final instalment of 'The Hunger Games' franchise with 'Mockingjay - Part 2', with 'Joy' also due for release later in 2015 and starring with Bradley Cooper for the fourth time. 'X-Men : Apocalypse' is filming currently for a 2016 release, with 'The Rose Project' and 'Passengers' in pre-production and 'It's What I Do' recently announced.






So far Lawrence has 28 acting credits to her name, one Academy Award win and two other nominations; two Golden Globe wins and another nomination; one BAFTA win and a nomination plus 114 other award wins and 113 other nominations from around the traps, and, she's still only 25! When Lawrence is not acting, she actively supports the 'World Food Programme', 'The Thirst Project', 'Feeding America'; is an ambassador for the Special Olympics and has launched the Jennifer Lawrence Foundation. Earlier this year she was ranked by the Guinness World Records as the highest grossing action heroine too for her role in 'The Hunger Games'. She was romantically linked to Actor Nicholas Hoult for a time and for a brief period more recently to Coldplay front man Chris Martin.

Jennifer Lawrence - husky voiced, immense acting range, Hollywood power player, sultry, beautiful, talented, in demand, a rising star, influential and inspirational - Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

The Odeon Online Top 20 movies coming your way in 2015.

2015 is going to be BIG at the movies in what is shaping up to be a year of sequels, reboots, Sci-Fi, dystopian worlds and several epic adventures set to hit our big screens that may well topple the US$1B Box Office mark as their predecessors have done before them. Along the way there are a few crime capers, real life stories, Westerns, comedies, thrillers and chillers and animated features that are all likely to tease and please as we wait in eager anticipation for 12 months of strong cinematic content that has already kicked off and has hit the ground running.

Take your pick of any of these movies, and the whole raft of others that will roll out as 2015 progresses - this year, see as many as you can!

January 1st : 'THE IMITATION GAME' - Benedict Cumberbatch never better in this WWII Enigma Code breaking drama of Alan Turing who led the team that helped save the lives of millions and bring the war to a premature end. Already reviewed and awarded five claps by this Blog. Oscar worthy stuff!

January 15th : 'BIRDMAN' - Michael Keaton in a career best as the retired film Superhero trying to reignite his former fame and fortune through a Broadway play. Directed by Alejandro Inarritu and starring Edward Norton, Emma Stone and Naomi Watts this is already gaining all the buzz as one of the best movies in a very long time featuring outstanding performances, a great story and some nifty camerawork. Oscar worthy stuff also!

January 22nd : 'AMERICAN SNIPER' - Clint Eastwood Directs Bradley Cooper in this true story of crack shot US Army sniper Chris Kyle and his four tours of duty in Iraq in which he had 160 confirmed kills, and, the impact this has on his life and those close to him. Oscar worthy stuff too!

January 29th : 'FOXCATCHER' - starring Steve Carell playing it straight with Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo this is a story of Olympic wrestler Mark Schultz and his brother David hired by billionaire businessman John du Pont (Carell) to lead his own wrestling team to success whilst training from his adapted farm  - the 'Foxcatcher Estate' of the title in readiness for the 1988 Seoul Olympics . . . but this comes at a price to all involved! Oscar worthy stuff again!

January 29th : 'THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING' - Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking from his days studying for his Doctorate at Cambridge through his diagnosis with MND, his marriage to Jane Wilde (his first wife) and his life beyond all expectations confined to a wheelchair but nonetheless still sharp, brilliant and engaging. Oscar worthy stuff once more!

February 12th : 'FIFTY SHADES OF GREY' - this hugely successful best selling book (70 million copies sold) makes it to the big screen and is likely to do well because of it, and it's erotic content which has been toned down to get it to the screen. Starring Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey and Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele.

February 19th : 'JUPITER ASCENDING' - the Wachowski's are back in full Sci-Fi mode after their earlier mega-successful 'Matrix' franchise with a down at heel human chick Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) set to inherit the Cosmos with the help of intergalactic man hunter Caine (Channing Tatum) - but needless to say it won't be as simple as it sounds as other interplanetary bad guys have their own designs on what should be going down when the time comes. Also starring Eddie Redmayne, and Sean Bean.

March 19th : 'INSURGENT' - the second outing in this series rolling hot on the heels of last years 'Divergent', sees the same characters reunited as Tris (Shailene Woodley) is on the run with Four (Theo James) trying to find her now divided comrades and the reasons behind the death of her parents, their own history and what they were protecting.

March 19th : 'IN THE HEART OF THE SEA' - Ron Howard Directs Chris Hemsworth in this true story of the incidents that inspired the classic story 'Moby Dick'. Set in 1820 the 'Essex' whaling ship was pressed by a whale of such huge and revengeful proportions that it pushed the crew to their absolute limited as they struggle to survive out at sea for 90 days. Brendon Gleeson, Cillian Murphy and Ben Wishaw also star.

April 23rd : 'THE AVENGERS : AGE OF ULTRON' - the first of several films from the Marvel stable this year ('Ant Man' out on July 17th and 'The Fantastic Four' out on August 7th) and you know this is just going to be massive! Writer/Director Joss Whedon is back reuniting Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Widow and Nick Fury against intelligent robot Ultron (James Spader) who is hell bent on world domination, and more thank likely, beyond! It's going to be epic in every sense!

May 14th : 'MAD MAX : FURY ROAD' - the fourth instalment in this franchise helmed by George Miller and shot in Namibia has taken a very long time to get to the big screen after several earlier failed attempts. Tom Hardy is Max Rockatansky starring with Charlize Theron as Furiosa, and following the events of 'Beyond Thunderdome' sees the last vestiges of the human race fighting it out with each other over the necessities of life in a parched desert landscape.

May 21st : 'TOMORROWLAND' - based on another Disney theme park attraction (think 'Pirates of the Carribbean') this futuristic Sci-Fi offering is Directed by Brad Bird and stars Britt Robertson as Casey Newton, a gifted teenager thrown together with George Clooney as Frank Walker an ageing cantankerous inventor as they embark on a journey to locate a place in time and space that only exists in their memory . . . or so they think, and, what will the consequences be when and if they get there?

June 12th : 'JURASSIC WORLD' - twenty or so years have past since 'Jursassic Park' went haywire and all manner of ancient beasts were let loose on an unsuspecting world. Now 'Jurassic World' is updated, renewed and ready to throw open it's gates as John Hammond had originally intended in the initial film(s). Directed by Colin Trevorrow with Chris Pratt in the lead role as a staffer researching a Velociraptor whilst at the same time those pesky scientists have created a new kind of dinosaur in the lab . . . it's not gonna end well methinks for the staffers, the tourists, the owners and probably this poor little dinosaurs!

July 1st : 'TERMINATOR : GENISYS' - just to see Arnie utter those immortal words 'I'll be back!' will be worth the price of a ticket alone. This is the fifth film in the franchise and this reboot is the first of a planned trilogy. Arnie is back doing what he does best and we are back to those characters we know from before - Sarah Connor, John Connor, Kyle Reece, the T-800 and T-1000 and, The Terminator. The shorts are reminiscent of T2, and this has to be another must see for your film diary.

August 13th : 'THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E' - Guy Ritchie Directs this retelling of the classic 60's TV spy series, set also in the 60's with the backdrop of the Cold War and two opposing sides having to join forces against an evil enemy playing with nuclear weapons and technology. Starring Hugh Grant as Waverly, Henry Cavill as Napoleon Solo and Armie Hammer as Ilya Kuryakin we know that Ritchie has the pedigree from the recent 'Sherlock Holmes' movies to deliver.

November 13th : 'THE HATEFUL EIGHT' - Quentin Tarantino back in full Western mode with a story of eight red-neck travellers holed up together taking refuge from a blizzard. As the storm takes hold out travellers are stranded in a old shop on a mountainside, and gradually they come to realise they may not make it to their ultimate destination. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, Kurt Russell, Channing Tatum and Jennifer Jason Leigh this is sure to please as only QT can!

November 19th : 'THE HUNGER GAMES : MOCKINGJAY Part 2' - after a lacklustre Part 1 (for me anyway) this had better pull out all the stops and deliver us a grand finale that is a fitting closure to what has gone before. You know the story, you know what is coming and you know what is needed - let's hope we are not disappointed!

November 19th : 'SPECTRE' (aka Bond 24) - Bond, James Bond is back! After the hugely successful 'Skyfall' Daniel Craig is back as our titular MI6 spy hero with Director Sam Mendes and Ralph Fiennes as 'M', Ben Wishaw as 'Q' and Christophe Waltz as enemy #1 Oberhauser. Bond is tracking down the sinister 'Spectre' organisation from his past that potentially could destroy everything he has fought to protect. Any sign of Blofeld, and his cat, anyone?

December 17th : 'STAR WARS : THE FORCE AWAKENS' - if you haven't seen the recently released trailer for this then you have been caught napping methinks! J.J. Abrams is on Director duty for Episode VII that sees us 35 years into the future after 'Return of the Jedi' with many of that former cast reunited with new players for this next instalment. You can expect C3PO, R2D2, the Millennium Falcon, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Chewbacca and heaps of new great stuff! Roll the opening credits!

December 26th : 'MISSION : IMPOSSIBLE 5' - plot details at this point are just about non existent! What we do know is that filming is currently drawing to a close having begun in Vienna about four months ago and this next instalment is Directed by Christopher McQuarrie and stars once again Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, Jeremy Renner as William Brandt, Ving Rhames as Luther Stickel, Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn with Alec Baldwin heading up the CIA this time around. Light that touch paper!

Wow - that's a big year, and there is so much more to look out for too including - 'Unbroken', 'Poltergeist'(remake), Point Break'(remake), 'The Gambler'(remake), 'The Gunman', 'Black Sea', 'Black Mass', 'The Kingsmen', 'Ted 2', 'The Riot Club', 'The Second Best Marigold Hotel', 'Ex Machina', 'Chappie', 'Pan', 'Cinderella', 'Mordecai' and 'The Martian' plus a host of animated features too amongst others.

As always, look out for all the latest news, Reviews and Previews here at Odeon Online, and feel free to share your comments with our rapidly expanding worldwide readership, by using the 'Comments' box below this and all Posts.

Enjoy your movies, and, see as many as you can in 2015.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-