Cindy Prascik's Reviews of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 2 & Secret in Their Eyes

 

 

 

 

Dearest Blog, yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas for the depressing double-bill of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 2 and Secret in Their Eyes. Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers. 

 

 Mama always said, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." If I adhered to that advice, I'd have a free day today, but since I wasted yesterday watching these movies, it seems fitting that I waste today writing about them. 

 

First on the docket: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 2, the further and final adventures of Katniss Everdeen. Dear Reader(s), let it be noted that I consider myself a fan of the Hunger Games franchise. 

 

It doesn't talk down to its audience, and the folks responsible for bringing it to the screen have done so with genuine regard for quality, rather than just milking a popular franchise for a cash grab. 

 

It's a miserable premise--the sort of thing I'd never watch more than once--but to this point I've given HG full marks for execution. 

 

Sadly, this final installment is a real letdown. For as much as Mockingjay-Part 2 has got going on, it is insufferably slow and dull. Perhaps stretching the final book to two movies was a bad idea, or maybe they've just done a poor job of translating events from page to screen, but I was ready to claw out my eyes long before the halfway point. 

 

The film yadda-yadda-yaddas over at least one thing that seems pretty important, and the ending feels like the author just got bored and turned it over to a 14-year-old fan-fiction writer. On the plus side, James Newton Howard has provided his usual strong score, and there are some nifty effects. 

 

The acting is solid from top to bottom, and Jennifer Lawrence is no less outstanding than when she's fronting something the Academy takes seriously. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 2 clocks in at an excessive 137 minutes and is rated PG13 for "intense sequences of violence and action, and for some thematic material." 

 

It's not without its good points, but The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 2 is, overall, a disappointment. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Mockingjay-Part 2 gets five.

 

Next up: Secret in Their Eyes. A group of law-enforcement professionals presses the law's limits when one of their young daughters is murdered. It's clear, at some point, someone fancied Secret in Their Eyes a legitimate awards contender, The film on which it's based has already collected an Oscar (thanks, Maynard Maynard, for that tidbit!), the cast is mint, and it's a Very Serious Story. 

 

Sadly, it's also a tedious affair in which the twists happen exactly how and when you'd expect, and two-thirds of the decorated principals are embarrassingly bad. 

 

Nicole Kidman is about as expressive as a ventriloquist's dummy, which may be less about her actual acting than it is about her tinkering with her face 'til it no longer moves. On the other end of the spectrum, Julia Roberts flails through the proceedings "as if there were no such thing as overacting." (I have shamelessly poached that glorious insult from an old review of Gary Oldman's performance in Bram Stoker's Dracula!) 

 

Chiwetel Ejiofor is terrific, making it hard to believe he's the only one of the three who doesn't (yet) have an Oscar. 

 

An unnecessary romantic subplot adds nothing, and the movie seems to take it as a matter of personal pride that each storyline reaches the least-satisfying resolution possible. Secret in Their Eyes runs 111 minutes and is rated PG13 for "thematic material involving disturbing violent content, language, and some sexual references." 

 

Secret in Their Eyes has all the pieces of a great bit of cinema, but, unfortunately, it fails to put them together. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Secret in Their Eyes gets four. 

 

If you are visiting the cinema this weekend, and--like me--you weren't lucky enough to get Legend or Spotlight, I suggest you revisit Spectre or The Peanuts Movie, and take a pass on these two downers. 

 

Until next time...

TV SHOW REVIEW: House of Cards

Francis Underwood is Majority Whip. He has his hands on every secret in politics - and is willing to betray them all to become President.


Cast: Kevin Spacey, Michael Gill, Robin Wright, Kate Mara, Michael Kelly, Corey Stoll

Executive Producers: David Fincher, Kevin Spacey, Eric Roth, Joshua Donen, Dana Brunetti, Andrew Davies, Michael Dobbs, John Melfi, Beau Willimon


Netflix’s decision to give original programming a shot was something that could have gone very badly. It could have been some cheaply produced muck with low rent actors. The decision to remake the British series House of Cards, after outbidding the cable networks, with A-list talent in front and behind the camera was a master stroke. With David Fincher at the helm for the first 2 episodes, allowing him to establish is distinctive style, gives the series instant legitimacy. The cast instantly shows you they are on their A game with an incredibly magnetic performance by Kevin Spacey at its center. The supporting cast such as a luminous Robin Wright textures the world being presented. Robin Wright’s performance as Underwood’s wife is just as interesting and complex as Spacey’s, a lesser actress could have faded into the background. Kate Mara continues to leave a noticeable impression even when working with some grade A talent. Other supporting players like Corey Stoll and Michael Kelly round out an impressive cast. The story and characters are all incredibly rich giving all these actors so much to work with throughout. Its plot feels like a MacBeth, King Lear hybrid blended into a modern day Washington all of it handled in an incredibly watchable and engrossing manner. Season 1 only failing speaks to effectiveness, the finale leaves you wishing you could watch season 2 instantly, a real triumph for Netflix.

A

Netflix Streaming Exclusive with all 13 episodes available

MOVIE REVIEW: CHRONICLE

IN THEATERS

CHRONICLE




Andrew (Dane DeHaan) is a socially awkward, introverted teen whose main form of escape and expression is a video camera. But things begin to change when Andrew, his cousin Matt (Alex Russell) and popular classmate Steve (Michael B. Jordan) discover a mysterious substance that leaves them with incredible powers. As their abilities become more powerful, the teens' lives spin out of control when their darker sides begin to emerge. Andrew's camera captures the unfolding events.

Director: Josh Trank

Cast: Dane DeHann, Michael B. Jordan, Alex Russell

Release Date: Feb 03, 2012

Rated PG-13 for some Language, Sexual Content, Intense Action and Violence, Teen
Drinking and Thematic Material

Genres: Action/Adventure, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

Sometimes what sounds like a bad idea on paper can turn into something terribly impressive. The “found footage” over exposure is only exceeded by the super hero fatigue the majority of the movie going public has felt for the better part of the last few years. Combining the two should be a recipe for disaster but Chronicle exceeds expectation and delivers an experience far better than anybody could have expected. The story hits plenty of the usual hallmarks of the super hero origin story but it keeps the film grounded throughout, a result of the handheld footage, allowing the dramatic slope to work as well as it does. Dane DeHann offers up a believable performance as the tragic protagonist of the piece. DeHann’s expresses his character’s pain and suffering throughout with impressive ease. Michael B. Jordan and Alex Russell fare well in the supporting roles even if they more muted. The finale feels like something ripped out of Japanese Anime Akira. As a whole, the film is an impressive feat from start to finish with a level of complexity to its storytelling that enhances the overall experience.

A

MOVIE REVIEW: THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU

ON DVD/BLURAY

THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU



The budding romance between a rising U.S. congressman and a gifted ballet dancer is unexpectedly complicated by otherworldly forces seeking to drive them apart by altering the very fabric of reality in this high-concept sci-fi thriller based on a story by famed author Philip K. Dick. David Norris (Matt Damon) is a rising New York congressmen whose everyman charisma has earned him a loyal following among locals. One night, after suffering a crushing political defeat, David is rehearsing his concession speech in a hotel bathroom when out of a stall wanders Elise (Emily Blunt), who was hiding out from security guards after crashing a wedding. The chemistry between David and Elise is instant and electric. But as fast as she appeared, Elise has vanished, leaving David to wonder if he will ever see her again. A few days later, as if by chance, David is boarding a bus for work when he spots Elise in a window seat. Though he manages to get her number this time, David is terrified when he arrives at his new job and discovers a mysterious group of men performing an unusual procedure on his paralyzed co-workers. Informed by the imposing and sharp-dressed Richardson (John Slattery) that he has just seen behind a curtain that few will ever know even exists, David agrees never to tell anyone of their encounter or talk to Elise again lest his entire memory be completely erased. But three years later, when David spots Elise walking down the street from the window of a city bus, he can't resist the urge to rekindle their romance. Unfortunately for the two young lovers, the mysterious agents at the Adjustment Bureau are determined to keep them apart at all costs in order to ensure there is no deviation from the master plan drawn up by "The Chairman" for the future of all humankind. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: George Nolfi

Cast: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Anthony Mackie, Michael Kelly, Terence Stamp, John Slattery

Release Date: Mar 04, 2011

Rated PG-13 for Brief strong language, some sexuality and a violent image

Runtime: 1 hr. 39 min.

Genres: Romance, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

The Adjustment Bureau is a high concept film that’s wonderfully shot that tries to be a lot of things all at once. First time director George Nolfi seems unable to focus his film. It’s as if we are watching his mind visually being projected on to the screen. The film takes so many thematic turns that’s it’s hard to get an actual feel for it. Nolfi’s heart is in the right place and there are plenty of high concepts rumblings at work, freewill vs. destiny, in the story here but he can’t seem to decide how to address it. As a result we get a shotgun approach. This film could easily be called a romance, Sci-fi, thriller, and even spiritual film. I don’t think anyone can question Nolfi’s eye behind the camera, he give his film a wonderful Kafkaesque feel to the whole proceedings while framing some shots with impressive talent. Matt Damon delivers a strong performance here but he really shines when he shares screen time with his costar. He and Emily Blunt have such wonderful chemistry on screen, their interactions are so strong and authentic that it really breathes life into the film. John Slattery and Terence Stamp, who apparently replace each other half way through the film, do fine work as the fedora wearing master planners. I would have liked to get a bit more from the characters but they aren’t really written that way, they merely serve the story. Anthony Mackie is given a bit more to work with and he’s enjoyable in the limited screen time he has, mostly in the last act. The last act feels a tad rush and not only because it becomes a chase film. Sadly, the finale feel artificial, removing any pop the story might have had if it’d finished on a more ambiguous tone. It’s a shame because there are parts of this film that work so well but it never quite reaches the heights of something like Dark City.

C