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-

THE IDES OF MARCH - archive from 3rd December 2011.

Saw 'THE IDES OF MARCH' this week. George Clooney Produces, Directs, Co-Writes and leads this film with his usual enigmatic intense approach to movie making that sees him as polished, smart, likable and affable US Governor of Pennsylvania Mike Morris who is bidding for the big chair in the Whitehouse. This is a good solid political drama set with the backdrop of the Ohio Primary Elections . . . yes you guessed it, in March, and Clooney is backed up by a strong cast and a very solid storyline.

Ryan Gosling plays a strong supporting role as Stephen Meyers rather than his usual shoot 'em up action fuelled roles played hitherto, and here he is the staffer #1 and aide to Mike Morris on the campaign trail. He moves & shakes with the media, he is the speech writer, he schmoozes when he needs to and can back stab with the best of them . . . but for all this he is young and still wet behind the ears! When he succumbs to a moment of temptation with a female campaign volunteer he sets off a chain reaction from which there is no going back and which has repercussions on those around him - including his boss - Governor Mike Morris, who after all it would appear is hardly whiter than white himself, and no knight in shining armour either! Well, there's a surprise - do we know any Politicians that are?

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti add gravitas as always as the other big players caught up in this burgeoning web of political intrigue with Morris & Co. Hoffman here is Paul Zara - the campaign manager and superior to Gosling's Meyers who has to deal with the fall out from Meyer's moment of weakness and the impending scandal and that may emanate from it. Giamatti is Tom Duffy the campaign manager for Ted Pullman (Michael Mantell) - an Arkansas Senator competing directly against Morris who comes to learn of said shenanigans and strives to use this for Pullmans political gain, but there are other forces at work here too.

All of this comes to a rather abrupt ending that doesn't really end too well for anyone (just another day in Politics!) but nonetheless it is a reasonably good story well played out by cast and Director. The film was made for just US$12.5M and grossed in the final analysis US$76M, and it picked up an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, four Golden Globe nominations, and two BAFTA Nominations. All up worldwide it received ten award wins and a further thirty nominations. Worth seeking out at your local DVD Store if Political Drama's are your thing!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE HUNGER GAMES : MOCKINGJAY Pt. 1 - Tuesday 25th November 2014.

On Tuesday night this week I ventured to my local Multiplex with a couple of movies buddies to see the next instalment in this franchise - the beginning of the end as the final book in the series is split into two movies (a la 'Harry Potter' and 'Twilight'). 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.

Directed once again by Francis Lawrence, we have all the characters we have got to know over the first two films assembled once more, with a couple of new ones thrown in as the action takes us to someplace else. Following on directly from where the last film left us, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) awakens in a hospital bed with vague memories of how she got there and who she left behind . . . the believed dead Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). Recovering she learns that she is in District 13 which it had previously been thought was destroyed long ago, but not so apparently. District 13 is overseen by President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and is occupied by former military personnel and is housed deep underground. As a result it is relatively safe, secure, and out of sight hidden beneath a dense forest but houses a mass of military weapons, aircraft, and a large community with the necessary infrastructure to support it.

When the Hunger Games Arena was destroyed and the Quarter Quell overturned at the end of 'Catching Fire' our protagonists were carted off in opposite directions - Katniss to District 13 with Gale Hawthorn (Liam Hemsworth), Sam Claflin (Finnick Odair), Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks), Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour-Hoffman), and Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) - the latter 'drying out a mile underground'! Heading off to The Capitol captured by President Coriolanus Snow were Mellark and Johanna Mason (Jena Malone) and Annie Cresta (Stef Dawson) wife of Finnick Odair.

President Coin aided by Heavensbee want to use Katniss as their mascot for the uprising against The Capitol and everything that President Snow (Donald Sutherland) stands for. As a symbol of hope, strength, unity and power to spearhead the rebellion, Katniss is crowned 'The Mockingjay' and so a propaganda campaign is launched and broadcast to all other Districts to consolidate the rebellion efforts against The Capitol. Meanwhile The Capitol with its military strength and its own propaganda campaign has outlawed the Mockingjay, and anyone seen or heard supporting it will be punished by death. President Snow has also trashed all other Districts, killed many of their citizens and nearly razed those former dystopian communities to the ground - not much is left.

When Katniss learns via the TV propaganda campaign launched by The Capitol that Peeta and Co. are in fact still alive, a plan is hatched to break them out of there and engineer a cunning escape - if only it were that easy of course! With live pictures beamed frequently over the TV with Peeta on screen being interviewed by Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci), Katniss soon realises that her love, Peeta, must have taken leave of his senses, given the anti-rebellion drivel coming out of his mouth! How can this be, horror of horrors! But within no time as Peeta loses weight before our very eyes on the TV screen and has an increasingly gaunt appearance, conclusions are drawn that he has been tortured and forced into submission. Katniss can't believe her eyes or ears, and nor can the rest of the populace!

And so Katniss becomes the poster girl for the rebellion and with Peeta languishing in The Capitol undergoing all manner of psychological torture, her attention becomes somewhat distracted by Gale Hawthorn and the increasingly obvious path of death and destruction that President Snow seems hell bent on. All of this seems to amble along with rousing speeches delivered by Alma Coin intermittently, discoveries of more fractured District communities, snippets of televised propaganda from both sides, and a few moments of action. One of the most 'gripping' scenes comes when The Capitol is bombing District 13 and all are nestled deep below ground in their bunker when Katniss has to go rescue her sister Primrose Everdeen (Willow Shields) who has gone searching for the family cat with bombs raining down and the time counting down to the automatic closure of the meter thick bomb proof bunker doors - will they all die because of a pesky flea bitten cat . . . probably not!

And that is about as exciting and as tense as it gets! Despite that, I understand completely that this film is setting the scene for the final instalment that is to follow, and that all this posturing lays the foundation for the grand finale and the big conclusion . . . but this lumbers along, it labours, it's pedestrian and it left me wanting more that just setting the framework for a film that I have to wait another 12 months for. Even the late great Philip Seymour-Hoffman to whom this film is dedicated, seemed at odds with some of the dialogue he had to deliver and almost had a constant smirk and cheesy grin on his face that says WTF am I doing here . . . but I guess the pay cheque is good, or maybe, this is what was intended for his character - you can decide!

There is no doubt that this film will be successful. With a budget of about US$125M (a reported US$250M for the two 'Mockingjay' films combined) it has already earned a global box office haul of just a nudge under US$300M at the time of writing this, and saw the biggest opening weekend of any film so far in 2014.



-Steve, at Odeon Online-

A MOST WANTED MAN - Tuesday 5th August 2014.

Starring, tragically, in his last lead role, Philip Seymour Hoffman plays German anti-terrorism Chief, Gunther Bachmann in this tense, taut telling of a 2008 John le Carre novel 'A MOST WANTED MAN', which I saw last night at the Cremorne Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace. I like a good spy drama, and they don't make 'em like this so much anymore, and because it is PSH's last  lead film role (the final 'Hunger Games' instalments are currently in post-production) this just added more weight as to why I should see this!

Directed by Anton Corbijn, and set in Hamburg post 9/11 the opening scene has half Chechen and half Russian Muslim, Issa Karpov (Grigoriy Dobrygin) crawling out of the harbour undercover of the night - cold, wet and doubtless somewhat anxious! Latching on to Hamburg's Islamic Community he finds safe haven in the house of a local couple where we learn he was imprisoned in Turkey and then Russia where he was savagely tortured before hatching his escape to Germany where he seeks asylum. He is in Hamburg to claim a vast inheritance from his father's ill-gotten gains, and the money is locked away in a private bank to which he has no access other than a mans name and an account number written on a scrap of paper. The man it turns out is the owner of the bank - Tommy Brue (Willem Dafoe) who needs to satisfy himself that Issa's intentions are genuine, he is who he says he is and that he does have a claim to a fortune that is worth in excess of ten million Euros.

In the meantime, Karpov has appeared on the radar of Gunter Bachmann and his covert crew of local undercover anti-terrorism cohorts and so they keep him under close surveillance to determine what exactly he is in Hamburg for. All the while the US are doing likewise in the form of US Embassy Attache Martha Sullivan (Robin Wright) who has conflicting views on Karpov's intentions and motivations. The two organisations have to join forces and reach a quick accord - so the US agree to give the Germans 72 hours to prove and shut the Karpov case, or they will go in all guns blazing (figuratively speaking) and lock him away never to see the light of day again!

Karpov meanwhile has been befriended by Annabel Richter (Rachel McAdams) a human rights lawyer who sees the good in him and provides the link to Banker Brue, and what needs to be done to release the inheritance funds.

The questions being asked here surround Karpov's motives - terrorist in disguise seeking a huge stash of cash to fund terrorist activities back home, or, is he an oppressed victim seeking asylum and a fresh start in life? It is Bachmann's job to uncover the truth and minimise the fall out, but the clock is ticking with only 72 hours in which to do so. The truth must be told to Brue, Richter and Sullivan for his plans to determine the reality to succeed, and so they all get drawn into a web of intrigue with Karpov becoming our 'most wanted man' unknowingly and possibly unwittingly!

Hoffman plays it brilliantly as we have come to expect from  his nuanced, believable and realistic performances of fractured men carrying around the excess baggage of life. Here he is the chain smoking, whisky guzzling leader of an undercover spy outfit that is not recognised or acknowledged by the German authorities because they operate for the safety of the nation, but outside the law.  He has been around a long time and has seen service in the worlds trouble spots tracking down and thwarting acts of terror - although not always successfully as we learn when a little of his back story is revealed, and for this he has become world weary, overweight, laboured, smokes and drinks too much but is expert at what he does, and oversees a tight knit team.

This is a slow burning film the likes of which you have seen in a previous le Carre big screen adaptation 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'. Don't expect car chases, gun play, big explosions and burning buildings - there is none of that! This is a thoughtful, intelligent, grounded adult spy drama with solid performances from its strong cast that also include Daniel Bruhl and Herbert Gronemeyer. It is however, Hoffman's film and his performance will be ranked amongst his career best. Appearing in almost every scene holding a cigarette and speaking with a thick German accent, when he exits his car in the final frames, with the camera filming from inside as he walks away for the last time with his back to the audience, this is a particularly poignant scene, for many reasons!

   

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week - Thursday 31st July 2014.

After last weeks haul of new releases there is a little more restraint in cinematic content this coming week . . . but, only a little! There are five new offerings out for the week ahead that are sure to give you more choice than you can shake a clapperboard at when matched up against those released last week and still doing the rounds from weeks before. Once again we have a real mix of films to tempt your movie going tastebuds that range from post 9/11 political intrigue fused with the war on terror; an Aussie 'end of the world as we know it' race against time; a more gentle English 'end of the world as you know it' passing of life drama; a poignant young lads Yorkshire take on 'Steptoe & Son'; and a drug mule action revenge story that has consequences for all when it goes wrong for all . . . or maybe right for a few!

So with five films to watch over the next seven days, you can easily get other there to your local cinema and then, drop me a line to share with the other Odeon Online follower expressing your views and opinions of what you've seen. It's that easy - enjoy your experience, and don't forget to share!

LUCY (Rated MA15+) - Directed, written and edited by Luc Besson with an estimated US$40M budget this French filmed and staged actioner stars Scarlett Johansson in the title role and Morgan Freeman supporting as Professor Norman. The story surrounds Lucy who is tasked simply with delivering a mysterious briefcase to an assigned recipient while holidaying somewhere is Asia - but needless to say this goes wrong, she is taken captive, and turned in to a drug mule for a new powerful synthetic drug. Carrying a bag containing the drug inside her stomach which splits and leaks, the effect is that Lucy's mind undergoes unimaginable changes that allows her to unlock it's full potential. The narrative in the film tells us that most humans utilise only 10% of their brain capacity, but Lucy has the potential now to utilise 100% as a result of this drug making her almost all powerful - physically and mentally, and so she turns the tables on her former captors to seek revenge whilst trying to prevent said drug from falling into the wrong hands. Along the way she is aided by Professor Norman - an expert on the human mind, and the head of the local Police. An interesting premise, the shorts look promising and good to see Johansson kicking butt - it's been a busy year for her!

THESE FINAL HOURS (Rated MA15+) - Directed and written by local Perth resident Zak Hilditch, and set in and around that remotest of cities this is the story of the last 12 hours on Earth - for us all, before a cataclysmic event in the shape of an oncoming asteroid collides with our fragile planet and ends all life as we know it! The story surrounds James (Nathan Phillips) who is intent on spending his final hours partying hard and going out with a bang! But his plans go awry when he reluctantly saves the life of a young girl, Rose (Angourie Rice) who has lost her father in the milieu of the end of the world, and is in the clutches of a rampaging paedophile who has plans of his own. With his end of the world plans turned upside down and forced to accept a new responsibility despite the circumstances, James has to come to terms with some harsh realities and decide what really matters in life against all the odds of their impending death. This is not your traditional effects laden Hollywood global apocalyptic epic, but instead an Australian small budget drama where the focus in on real lives forced into a hopeless situation.

A MOST WANTED MAN (Rated M) - this film stars the late great Philip Seymour Hoffman in one of his last screen appearances as Gunther Bachmann, an anti-terrorism unit chief trailing an asylum seeker and believed Chechen terrorist, Issa Karpov (Grigorly Dobrygin) in post-9/11 Hamburg. When Karpov emerges undercover of the night and seeks to reclaim millions in inheritance deposited at a local Bank in Hamburg, he is thrown into a further web of intrigue involving human rights lawyer Annabel Richter (Rachel McAdams), banker Tommy Brue (Willem Dafoe) and US Embassy official Martha Sullivan (Robin Wright). The question is are Karpov's motives and interest genuine or is this some kind of cover-up for funding future international terrorism attacks? And so begins a game of cat and mouse as the clock ticks down on Karpov and who will get to him first. A strong cast, Directed by Anton Corbijn the acclaimed photographer, based on the 2008 John le Carre book, this is a solid tale in the vein of 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy', and 'The American' with Hoffman's performance rated tragically as one of his best - this is a slow burn film that will keep you guessing right to the end, and thinking long after the credits have rolled.

STILL LIFE (Rated M) - Written and Directed by Umberto Pasolini this film set in some English town, centres around middle aged unassuming and quiet John Mays (Eddie Marsan) who has been employed by the local council for the past 22 years as a funeral officer. Tending to the dead he arranges the last respects to society's forgotten citizens who may have passed away alone, with no family, few friends and no one else to tend to their final arrangements. He organises the funeral, will draft and deliver an eulogy with whatever information and intelligence he can piece together, attempt to contact any surviving relatives often fruitlessly, and ensure that there is some dignity in the proceedings to honour the memory of those passed. However, after 22 years he is let go by his local council employer, and in doing so there is one final case to make the arrangements for - that of his little known neighbour, Billy Stokes. In conducting his investigations into the life of Stokes for the purposes of his eulogy and seeking to make contact with any surviving relatives he comes across the daughter Kelly (Joanne Froggatt) with whom he makes a connection - and perhaps the most powerful, meaningful and endearing yet. A gentle, nuanced, sensitive film where emotions speak louder than words this film might make you rethink that there is life in death, and after it!

THE SELFISH GIANT (Rated MA15+) - Written and Directed by only second time film maker Clio Barnard this story unfolds in Bradford, in Yorkshire, England. Inspired by a short Oscar Wilde story this sees two young lads from the poorer downtrodden end of town - Arbor (Conner Chapman) and his good mate Swifty (Shaun Thomas) who are both happy go lucky tearaway kids, with few prospects but relatively street smart. Having been suspended from school because of their involvement in a fight they turn their attention to making some cash, and so start collecting and selling scrap metal from wherever they can get their hands on it - learning quickly that copper especially from telecom, power and utility lines is especially lucrative. They on-sell to local scrap merchant Kitty (Sean Gilder) who takes the young lads under his wing but ultimately with dire consequences for all! Nominated this year for a BAFTA for Best British Film this is a thought provoking and moving human drama surrounding two young souls trying to claw their own way out of life's scrapheap only to be knocked down again by the cards that life has dealt them! Reminiscent of Ken Loach's excellent 1970 film 'Kes' this is a modern folk story set amidst England's industrial heartland with its grime, poverty and social divides that is sure to resonate.

Five films then to surprise and delight, and lure you out from in front of the small screen to get out there in front of the big screen with all its eye popping ear pounding glory! When you're done, drop me a note in the comments box and share your thoughts with the movie going world.

Movies - see as many as you can!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-