The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

This was a great sequel to a great film.
The film picks up a year after Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) have won the Hunger Games and inspired Panem with their own sappy love story. Yet, they have barely talked to each other since.
Katniss still hunts with Gale (Liam Hemsworth) who works in the mines. But when she aims and fires her bow, she doesn't see it striking a wild turkey but a person just as she had done in the game causing her to have a panic attack.
Problems arise. Namely in the form of President Snow (Donald Sutherland). He has spy cameras following Katniss around so he knows that she recently kissed Gale while the districts still believe that she loves Peeta. She must lie to the other districts and perform when they go on the publicity tour.
The tour is a disaster, because of Katniss's actions, rebellion is strong and the guards will do away with those who honor Katniss's bravery. She is terrified of what happens right before her eyes. The fake speeches aren't her style and she longs for her family. Not even meeting the new game designer, Plutarch (the great Philip Seymour Hoffman) who admires her can help her.
But Plutarch doesn't really admire or even like Katniss, he agrees with Snow that she must be stopped. The people must see her as one of them. Floggings will increase, executions will be back. The 'Peacekeepers' sent from the capitol turn District 12 upside down. Call me crazy, but it seemed similar to the Holocaust, with the Peacekeepers rounding up extra supplies and the nice things the people owned and burning them, while subjecting them to beatings. The head Peacekeeper doesn't even recognize Katniss when she tries to protect Gale from being hurt.
When this doesn't seem to be working, Plutarch decides that the ultimate Hunger Games should do Katniss in. This is where each District will send two of its former champions. Katniss wants Peeta, whom she is fake engaged to, because she doesn't want him to die. Despite Haymitch's (Woody Harrelson's) name being drawn, for some reason Peeta decides to volunteer in his place. You will find out the true reason later, but at the time, I didn't understand it. Haymitch is a middle-aged, unmarried alcoholic while Peeta is young and still has the rest of his life ahead of him. Whatever.
The training is intense and alliances must be forged. And Katniss does make friends. With some weirdos. The District 3 victors are an odd couple but kind. Beetee (Jeffrey Wright) is not strong but won because he electrocuted six people with this special wire he invented. Wiress (Amanda Plummer, who needs more screen roles) is equally as odd. Mags (Lynn Cohen) is a sweet old lady who volunteered from District 4 just to save the damaged selective victor. Finnick (Sam Claflin) is also on Katniss's side, though they do not get along well at the beginning.
The rest of the victors are ruthless, with one even filed her teeth down so they look like fangs. It's super creepy.
Once again, Katniss gets to show everyone what she really is, but she hangs a body up labeled Seneca Crane, the secretly murdered game designer from the first film. For some reason, probably one of the biggest plot holes and problems I have with the film is that this is never brought up again and she does not get in trouble.
Then comes the best scene, the last publicity interview before the games begin. Katniss is decked out in a wedding dress ordered by Snow. Cinna (Lenny Kravitz) out did himself, but once she swirls around, the white dress is changed into a mockingjay, complete with wings. Cinna will pay for this.
Peeta's interview is the best. In addition saying that he and Katniss secretly wed, he is worried about the baby. Of course, there is no baby, but it was a great twist and one that earns him points from Haymitch, though the games will not be cancelled or postponed.
And so the games begin. Peeta and Katniss have joined forces with Finnick and Mags where they face the challenges together. The challenges are grim. They are in a desert dome this time around with no sources of freshwater. (Luckily, Haymitch helps them out in this area.) There is a poisonous gas which will cover the skin in nasty boils, and fierce fighting monkeys with big gnashing teeth. A huge wave strikes. Others, including the wild and scene-stealing Johanna (Jena Malone), Beetee and Wiress deal with a blood storm, which causes Wiress to become delirious. Wiress keeps repeating tick tock which leads Katniss to discover that the games are like a clock, with a disaster coming every hour but only lasting for that hour. A lightning strike at midnight and noon begins the whole cycle again. Unfortunately, Wiress will soon die.
Luckily, Beetee comes up with a plan, with his special wire. They will attach it to the lightning tree and then put it in the water, hopefully frying the others still left in the game.
This fails to work because someone cuts the wire and then Johanna rips out the tracker from Katniss’s body. But Katniss has the last word, firing an arrow into the dome covering, causing it to be destroyed.
Then Katniss is rescued. I was wondering why this was occurring. Sure, this had happened before, but only because the victors had died, but Katniss has not died. Her health is not great, but she is blinking. She wakes up in a hospital like setting to discover Plutarch, Haymitch and Finnink plotting for the revolution. Most of the other victors were in on the plan. Peeta remains in the game, his fate unknown for the time being. Gale has joined the alliance, after getting her mother and sister out of District 12 which now no longer exists. The Rebellion has begun.
This film deals with some serious issues and the love triangle is firmly in place. I believe that Katniss loves both of them, just not at the same time. She loves and needs Peeta during the games while Gale is what she needs when she’s at home. Peeta is her rock during the games but Gale understands her and her desires, but he has no idea what her life is like during the games. Peeta knows how brutal the games are and they bond despite the immense challenges ahead of them. But they both love her.
I’m also glad that a rebellion will occur. I’ve read several dystopian futuristic novels before where the society is oppressed, but in neither did a rebellion occur so this is a nice refreshing change. I wonder what will happen next.
Once again, the film has nary a false step. Lawrence is brilliant as Katniss, showing every emotion, even when she tries to hide them, they are never far from the surface. Hutcherson is also great as Peeta but he and to a bigger degree, Gale are still quite underdeveloped compared to Katniss. Malone is utterly brilliant as Johanna. She has such a memorable introduction, meeting Haymitch, Katniss and Peeta on the elevator and stirps right in front of them which Haymitch finds particularly enjoyable. Johanna is also rightfully angry. She is pissed because she was promised once she won the games that nothing like this would ever happen again but they lied to her. Claflin is also great as someone with murky motives.
The film also looks great, with great scenery and brilliant costumes and flawless special effects.
The plot is lively and entertaining though I did have a problem with Peeta announcing that Katniss is pregnant. I predicted that, though just minutes earlier I predicted that Snow was going to force the two to get married just before the games, which never happened. But the problem is that Katniss never yells at him for throwing that into the mix and none of the other contestants bring up that issue. Sure, a small problem, but one that bothers me, but I’m a weird person. Other people might have a problem with the cheat ending. I’m an optimist, I hope all the cool characters survive.
I can’t wait for the next film. This one will have to tide me over until then. Grade: A-

The Middle: Thanksgiving V

First, my rant about last week's episode. I love Sue, she's great but seriously, can she do something good with actually talents instead of winning because of her kindness or because her body was between the ball and the floor. She is an amazing character and deserves much more than this.
As for this episode, Sue (Eden Sher) didn't have it much better. She and Frankie (Patricia Heaton) go pre-holiday shopping, which actually occurs on Wednesday instead of Friday, but then acts all secretive and private upon arriving home. Yikes.
Axl (Charlie McDermott) struggles to tell his parents his bad news. He is being super helpful to his parents and even offers to drive to collect his grandparents (Jerry Van Dyke and Marsha Mason). He tells them, hopeful that they will be on his side, but they are furious at him, which still leads him with the task of telling his parents.
Tag, once again, confides in Mike (Neil Flynn) to Mike's dismay. Tag was stupid and gambled away all of the money he and Pat had saved up for a Christmas cruise. His plan is to highlight all the bad problems with cruises and have Mike for back-up but that just doesn't happen, probably because Mike doesn't even care.
Then comes the dinner, which actually makes up the majority of the episode. The Hecks get some unexpected guests in the form of Frankie's boss, Dr. Goodwin (Jack McBrayer) because he doesn't understand sarcasm, a mistake Frankie repeats at the tail end of the episode. Then, Marlene (Mary Birdsong) and her two children from previous relationships arrive. The kids don't know her very well, but are confused when she starts openly and blatantly flirting with Dr. Goodwin. Finally, Marlene confesses that she and Rusty divorced because he couldn't communicate, which is clearly the case as he couldn't even tell his own brother that his marriage failed.
Well, that dinner is a dinner of truths with everyone confessing stuff. Axl tries to start things off, but Tag reveals his money issues first, then Marlene tells them her news and then Frankie appears on the news, ripping people apart to get the wanted items, a truly horrifying sight, and then, finally Axl reveals his news, but his parents don't react the way he expects them to.
However, Mike believes that Axl isn't theirs anymore, which isn't really the case in my opinion, but I liked how he got his point across. Axl finally, hopefully, realizes that he needs to grow up. He needs to stop partying and buckle down on his classes. He also promises to come home every weekend to study. We'll see if that happens. I think he's finally growing up, but then again, I thought that last season when he was with Cassidy, but that was only short lived, before he reverted back to his old ways.
All-in-all, a much better episode than last week's, but it still falls short of every previous Thanksgiving episode. But the acting is good and this one gives the guest stars true moments to shine, which is awesome every once in awhile. And, yes, it is a disturbing awakening for the rest of the family when they witness firsthand of how Frankie is able to get them the high quality gifts they want.
Still, this episode was far from perfect. Sue needed more screen time, but she tried to make the most of what she had, freaking out and trying not to tell what really happened. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Brick (Atticus Shaffer) wants green jello, but Frankie, once again, forgets to make some, so he makes his own and eats the whole thing, which leaves him quite sick, probably because he didn't make it right. He is literally a slug. Yikes.
-The grandparents always bring fudge.
-Marlene flirts like crazy, but Dr. Goodwin is actually terrified of her, it's great.
-Pat has been a member of Weight Watchers for more than a decade, so that's some money being wasted.
-Forgiveness is awesome and does happen, but only after the yelling.
-I loved Frankie's gag of not preparing enough food, going back in the kitchen to whip up more mashed potatoes, and adding tables so everyone can have a seat.
-Colin Firth is still around, albeit briefly. He appears in the beginning and Axl agrees to walk him, but then he disappears for the remainder, not even joining the family to play touch football.
-Axl, you're on a football scholarship and you can't even catch a simple throw from your dad? Okay, I'll give you that one, you're probably fearful that a screaming match is coming any minute so that's where your focus is, but whatever.
-Does no one in the Heck family ever talk to one another?
-Everyone stays until pie this year, though Dr. Goodwin claimed he would leave.

The Middle: The Jump

There actually wasn't much that happened this episode, but that's okay.
First off, Axl (Charlie McDermott) is doing horribly in college. He's doing so bad, he should drop three of his classes because there is no way he will pass them, leaving him with just one class. Though he loathed his mother's nagging while he was living at home, he realizes that he needs Frankie (Patricia Heaton) on his back otherwise, he won't get anything done. Not even a crash course in studying, trying to cram with Brick (Atticus Shaffer) could help. Axl is unorganized and lazy and there must be something quite wrong with him if he sleeps for two straight days.
Sue (Eden Sher) manages to make the volleyball team. But it isn't because she actually has talent. It's because during her try-out, she falls through the gym floor, right into the janitor's break room, the sofa breaking her fall. Naturally, she gets no playing time, though when Mike (Neil Flynn) shows up, probably despite his better judgment, and starts yelling her name, the coach misinterprets that and thus puts Sue in, even though it is game point. So she goes in and manages not to mess up. She doesn't do anything right, but by just falling backwards, the ball hits her head, twice, forcing her down on the ground, but the Hens win, so Sue is the hero, at least for a brief moment.
As for Frankie, everyone in the family is being mean to her. They make fun of her painted nails; they are cruel when she accidentally mispronounces a word; Sue can't believe she still types www. when typing a website address in the search box. But she finally reaches her limit when she tries to jump, because Sue hung a banner up for her volleyball practicing, and can't get up, she breaks down. But then, she finds a stray dog who just jumps into her car. Sure, she knows they can't keep him, so she'll put out banners. This is Frankie guys, so there aren't banners or anything yet. She also names the dog Colin Firth and he is rather attached to her, following her around the house. He also doesn't really like the rest of the family, growling at Mike and tearing Sue's volleyball apart. Finally, Frankie tells the family that their insults hurt, so Mike gathers the troops and they rally Frankie's feelings, apologizing and stuff, so the episode ends on a happy note, though trouble is looming ahead; it's the Heck family. Nothing ever fully goes their way. But I love when the show ends with the whole family together.
Sure, this was far from The Middle's best, but nothing was truly wrong with it, though the plots were weak. The acting is always top-notch and it did have its funny moments, though nothing compared to the last new episode. And Axl, for the love of God, pull yourself together and grow up. And learn how to fold your own laundry. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-Does Mike ever go to work?
-What does Axl really do at college?
-I can't believe Sue is mean to Frankie, but I could tell that she is the only one who regrets her actions and thus her apology is sincere.
-Axl doesn't tell his parents about his malfunction at college.
-He even needs Brick's help to drop his classes.
-I love how they let Sue on the team so she wouldn't sue the school, how sweet of them.
-The episode begins with expired soup night, no wonder they hate Frankie's cooking. Axl won't even eat it.
-What is Kenny's deal? He disturbs me.

About Time

Unlike my last post, this film was a delight to watch and I would gladly see it again. Sure, it has a powerful message but there are comic moments every now and then which are a joy.
Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) is part of a typical British family. Or so he thinks. After a New Year's Eve party, his father, James (Bill Nighy) tells him a deep, dark family secret. The men can travel back through time, only into the past and only to places they have been. Tim puts the plan into action right away, making up for the awkward handshake at the party the night before, kissing a girl instead.
Though his father traveled back in time to read more books, Tim knows that his will be about love. And so it is.
Tim's sister, Kit Kat (Lydia Wilson), an interesting supporting character, has a friend over for that summer. Her name is Charlotte (Margot Robbie) and Tim has a crush on her, but he waits until her last night to tell her. She says that it is too late so he travels back in time and tells her earlier, but she decides to wait and see how the rest of the summer will go. Yikes.
Then he moves to London and stays with his father's playwright friend, Harry (Tom Hollander, Mr. Collins from 2005's Pride and Prejudice). Here, he works as a lawyer and eventually has a (literally) blind date with a delightful girl named Mary (Rachel McAdams), who works for a publisher, reading manuscripts. There actual meet-cute is delightful. But then, when he travels back in time so Harry's play isn't a disaster, he doesn't meet Mary. But because he has the information he needs, he sets out to meet Mary at a Kate Moss exhibit. Though he knows about her, she thinks it is so odd that he knows who she is and this time around, she has a boyfriend. So, he once again journeys back in time to prevent Mary from ever meeting her boyfriend. At her friend's (Vanessa Kirby) lame party. Luckily, they hit it off much better this fake time around than the last. The night ends well, though of course, Tim has to go back in time, twice to get the sex right.
He and Mary are in love and for awhile, the story is rather predictable. He moves in and meets her conservative parents. But it is only after a chance (for real) meeting with Charlotte that drives Tim to propose to Mary. She is so grateful that he did that in private without tons of people around. So Tim leaves the room and whisks the band away.
Tim and Mary travel home to tell his parents and uncle, Desmond (Richard Cordery). Kit Kat is also visiting and ignores Tim's warning to be gentle with Mary. When announcing the big events, their engagement and Mary's pregnancy, Uncle Desmond responds each time, "To her?" and "It's his?" and then responding, "That's a relief."
So they get married. And Tim opts not to go back in time and change the date or location of the wedding, as the weather is windy and rainy, but he does change his best man, before finally deciding on his father. Dad, then, goes back in time and changes the speech he gives.
Their daughter, Posy, is born and Tim is terrified. And then, the film gets more complicated. On Posy's first birthday party, after a fight with her boyfriend (Tom Hughes), she drinks drunk and gets into a car accident. She isn't killed, thank goodness. Tim tries to change this and he does, only to come home and find that Posy doesn't exist. A little boy who looks nothing like either Tim or Mary is born. Tim learns that he can never go back in time before Posy's birth because then he would have a different baby. Which proves that sometimes, changes shouldn't happen because the effects could be horrible. There is always that butterfly effect to consider.
Luckily, Kit Kat does pull herself together and follows Tim's advice and gets together with his loony friend, Jay (Will Merrick). Tim also wants another baby, despite knowing the truth, but Mary doesn't. But, as Tim puts it, "Luckily, we were young and stupid," which equals baby number two.
Life is largely happy until a disastrous night when, while Mary is trying on dress after dress (the scene I hated) and Tim left her office door open, leaving the three-year-old Posy to destroy the manuscript Mary was working on and she won't let him leave the room to remedy the problem. That problem will seem small in a moment because Tim's mother calls, telling them that his father was inoperable cancer.
Here, Tim learns his father's secret. Live each day normally and then replay it, changing nothing major, so the day is lived without all the anxiety it had the first time.
Then comes the inevitable. James dies, but life does move on. For Tim, it is not the same as he misses his father. His mother (Lindsay Duncan) even mentions that she doesn't want to live without her husband.
Then, despite not wanting a second child, Mary wants another baby to have an insurance baby. Though Tim does want one, as his father wished there was more of them, he knows this means that he will never see his father again. He says they should wait and maybe she won't even get pregnant again, but she does. So Tim has one last good-bye with his father.
The film ends happily, with Tim finally learning to make each day count and live it to the fullest. He enjoys getting the kids ready in the morning and talking to his wife. All the little things in life matter and he will savor every single one of them. Kit Kat, by the way, also has a baby though Tim believes that she is not a safe or good mother, yikes.
The film is not perfect. Though Kit Kat's troubled and doomed relationship is supposed to be a major part of the film, the viewer doesn't see much of this relationship at all. They don't know that she's an alcoholic who can't keep a job though her free-spirit personality does change, but not enough to fully notice. Also, though Tim goes back and changes Kit Kat's past, undoing Posy's every existence, somehow he is able to unchange his change, with the car accident still occurring and Posy back firmly as Tim's daughter. I also found it hard to believe that two parents would leave and be able to leave their two young children downstairs for Mary to try on every dress known to mankind for an event.
Yet, the film is a delight, with some great performances. The sheer horror in Tim's eyes when he realizes that he has a different child is heart-breaking. Gleeson and McAdams are a realistic couple, you could truly believe that they are married. And the ending is happy, I like happy endings. The film may be a trifle but it's an enjoyable and thought-provoking one. There is finally a Richard Curtis film I enjoy. I may be alone here, but I didn't like Love Actually and Four Wedding and a Funeral at all and found Notting Hill only marginally enjoyable but this one is totally worth a second, third and fourth viewing.
Also of note, Richard Griffiths (Uncle Vernon from the Harry Potter series) makes cameo as one of the actors Tim confronts to practice his lines. This will be his last film and that's a pity. Grade: A-

12 Years a Slave

This film is powerful and painful to view. If you are a history major, or a film buff, you should watch it anyway. Bring tissues.
Solomon Northrup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a freeman living his life, happily, in Saratoga, New York. It is 1841. He has a wife, Anne (Kelsey Scott) and two young children, Margaret (Quvenzhane Wallis) and Alonso (Cameron Ziegler). But then, everything changes. He meets two gentlemen, Brown and Hamilton (Scoot McNairy [from Argo] and Taran Killam) who praise his immense talents and offer him a sweet deal which will require him to travel to Washington D.C. which is in slave territory. He accepts their offer.
After a nice meal, Solomon wakes up in chains, wondering what has happened to him. In gradual flashbacks, he remembers and the viewers learn that something bad must have been in the wine at dinner, for it made him horribly drunk and ill. He doesn't have his free papers on him so they assume that he's a slave. It's America and it's 1841, of course they would. He is beaten into submission and taken by boat, along with some others to New Orleans where he is sold. Along the way, the two other freeman also captured, escape his fate. One dies while the other is rescued. It is just Solomon who is somehow given the name Platt and Eliza (Adepero Oduye), the mother of two young children, one is the daughter of her late master.
Enter the slave wheeler and dealer (Paul Giamatti). He separates mother from her children, though the buyer offers to buy the daughter, but Giamatti is unmoved. Eliza mourns horribly for her children. Solomon and Eliza are on the same plantation, owned by Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch). His wife (Liza J. Bennett), despite being a mother herself, shows no sympathy to Eliza over the loss of her children. "She'll get over them soon enough." Yet, she does not. She weeps openly and loudly, and nothing Solomon can say can get her to calm down. She is finally sold and Solomon does not stop it.
In the meanwhile, he chops wood and proves that he is started than the one overseer (Paul Dano). Solomon knows what he is doing but he stands up to Dano which does not end well. He is only as good as his instruction which leads Dano to pull out his whip but Solomon stands up for himself, fighting and whipping Dano himself. The viewer knows that this will not end well. And it doesn't. He is tied to a tree and nearly dies before Ford can rescue him. Though Ford is somewhat sympathetic, he knows that the overseers will be after Solomon, so Solomon is sold and his next chapter begins.
Epps (Michael Fassbender) is crazy. His wife (Sarah Paulson) is no better. They are nasty to each other as well but are crueler to the slaves. The only good thing about them is that they have no children, or if they do, God help those kids, they are never shown on screen. Here, Solomon picks cotton but never enough. Apparently, slaves are supposed to pick two hundred pounds per day. Patsey (Lupita Nyong'o) picks over five hundred pounds per day. She is Master Epps's favorite and his wife knows it, and tortures her greatly, scratching her face so bad it leaves scars. He also takes advantage of her, but then, when she goes to get some soap as his wife denies her such luxuries, he goes to beat her, though he fails because he does care for her, in some sick, perverted way, so he asks Solomon to beat her which he does reluctantly though becomes more willing after the threat of Epps killing every Negro in sight in made real. Epps takes over in a brutal scene that better cause everyone to cringe.
Solomon has his own problems. He believes that he can trust this white overseer, who is forced to live life similar to a slave, Armsby (Garrett Dillahunt) and gives him some money and asks him to send a letter to his family in New York, but Armsby betrays him and turns him over to Master Epps, but Solomon manages to convince Epps that it is all a lie. Somehow, miraculously, Epps believes him, thank goodness.
Finally, a helping hand is tossed his way. Brad Pitt finally makes his entrance. He is a kind Canadian carpenter named Bass who chews Epps out when Epps asks about his well-being but doesn't offer his property anything to drink. Later, Solomon confides in him, telling him the truth and despite the risks involved, Bass decides that he will write some letters on his behalf. This time, he actually keeps his word.
Solomon is rescued though Epps fights for him, saying that his property cannot be taken from him.
The last scene is heart-wrenching and tear inducing. He is finally back in New York and his family is waiting for him. He apologizes for his appearance. His adult daughter, Margaret (now Devyn A. Tyler) is the first to greet him. She introduces her husband (Willo Jean-Bapiste) and their infant son, named after him, and lets Solomon hold him. She tells him that there is nothing to forgive. I cry. People clap.
This is an amazing film. It is difficult to watch but it shows that people cannot function under a sick system. And questions arise? Is Epps truly mentally ill? I think so, forcing his property up in the middle of the night, and watching them dance in his house, but his wife is no better, looking on as this happens, feeding everyone something special, except for Patsey, whom she despises. Also noted, Epps would pick Patsey over his wife in a heartbeat. Does Patsey like Solomon? This one can be debated for some time. She must think highly of him. She asks him to to kill her by drowning because she doesn't have the guts to do it herself. He refuses, knowing it will be the death of him, and he's almost certainly right. She is also devastated and throws herself at him when he leaves. But for the most part, Solomon stays loyal to his wife and she stays loyal to him though she must have long given up hope that he was still alive.
Another reason to see the film is the acting, realistic and gritty. Ejiofor is a force of nature, playing the violin and letting the audience read his mind on his face, showing every single emotion possible. Devastation in the beginning when the berry ink doesn't work to write his letter. His heart just breaks. Patsey's spirit breaks when she is beaten into submission. Fassbender plays a sick bastard like no other. All three should receive Oscar nominations and currently, Ejiofor is the one to beat in the Best Actor category. Yet, the vast majority of these characters are also horribly wrong because slavery is wrong, despite whatever means needed to justify it, like scripture reading and believing that they are property. Even Solomon says that Ford is nice under the circumstances. And he's right, under the circumstances Ford is kind and honorable and just, but owning slaves is still wrong because it is owning another person. And Ford still owns other people.
This film also is realistic, including the sets, accents and violence, showing America part of its past that it hopes to forget. Cinematography, editing and score are equally as brilliant.
But the saddest part? Sure, Solomon tried to bring his kidnappers to justice, but because of the laws at the time, he couldn't even testify against them and then when he died, no one was there to record it. Who knows when, where or how he died. (My mom said this.) His life does not deserve to be forgotten. Luckily, this film will make that hard to do. Grade: A