The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Pt.2 (2015)

“Katniss Everdeen. A small town girl from District 12 who survived the Games and turned a nation of slaves into an army!”

            The epic Hunger Games movie series comes to a dramatic, action packed end with Mockingjay Part II.

            Mockingjay Part I left off with Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) being brought back to District 13 after he had been captured and brainwashed by the Capitol. Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) had gone into to speak to Peeta and because he was so brainwashed in the Capitol to hate Katniss he attacks her and nearly chokes her to death.

            Mockingjay Part II begins with Katniss still recovering from being choked by Peeta. She is still determined to fight with the people against President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and bring down the Capitol. President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) of District 13 has her own ideas of how to use Katniss. She does not want the Mockingjay to go into battle she wants to use Katniss as a promotional and moral boosting tool.

            Katniss cannot just sit back and watch people fight and die for something she feels she started. She hears from Johanna Mason (Jenna Malone) that there is medical transport bringing supplies to the front. Katniss gets on the plane and is brought to the base. Right away she known and everyone gathers around her. Now President Coin and game maker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) have no choice but to let Katniss in some action. They have Katniss, her friend Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Finnick Odair, and Cressida (Natalie Dormer) and her film crew, along with a few other soldiers are to go to the front lines miles behind the actual fighting.

            Of course this small troupe is soon under fire and desperately fighting for their lives as they move closer and closer to President Snow and his stately home.

            In the end comes peace to Panem and finally to Katniss and Peeta’s lives,

            The cast of Mockingjay Part II and just the whole series in general is amazing. The role of Katniss Everdeen could not have been cast any better with Jennifer Lawrence. It is fantastic to see a young actress not afraid to go dark places and really stretch her acting. You can tell Lawrence gives her all in role, you can see she is not afraid of doing anything with her acting and that is what made her so perfect as Katniss. Plus the girl has an insane emotional depth to her acting. This may sound odd but I nearly flipped a shit when Michelle Forbes showed up as Lieutenant Jackson. I think Forbes is also an insanely talented actress. The range of characters she has played on TV is awesome she can really play anything and kick its ass. Natalie Dormer is fantastic as Cressida. She was a bad ass bitch and I loved every scene she was in. And I gotta throw out that Gwendolyn Christie has a small part just because she and Dormer are in Game of Thrones. I wish she had been in it some more. I also very much enjoyed seeing Mahershala Ali as Boggs. He used to be on this show called The 400 and I really liked his character and I have seen him in other shows and movies and I really like his acting. So happy to see him in a big movie like this. Elizabeth Banks was stunning as Effie Trinket she was way too perfect as the eccentric character. If I go into the other actors you will be reading for two more pages and I do not want to do that to you, dear reader. Just know everyone else did a wonderful job in their roles.

            Mockingjay Part II was a perfect ending for The Hunger Games series. Really I have zero complaints about this Mockingjay or any of the movies in the series. The story is so good because it is about love and the sacrifices people make for love. Katniss was motivated to help people because she was compassionate and she loved and cared for everyone in her life. It is refreshing to read and see a story like this in literature and in movies. Go see Mockingjay Part II as soon as you can. It is definitely worth seeing in theaters. 

Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)

“You are one of us, you paid the registration fee.”

            I love guy humor. I love bawdy, raunchy, crazy silly, ridiculous humor. I will most likely be the first one laughing at farts, burps, and any kind of shit stories (my current idols in this department are Grace Helbig and Mamrie Hart. Go listen to Grace’s Not Too Deep podcast or watch her videos Fart Soundboard Challenge and I Almost Sh*t My Pants and go watch anything on Mamrie’s two channels You Deserve a Drink and Mametown). Most women will not admit to thinking that guy humor and bodily functions are hilarious and that to me is sad I feel like they are missing out on some good gut wrenching laughs. Ever since Bridesmaids it has become more mainstream for women to act like guys and say things like guys. Well we actually already did but it was never really too out loud or in the mainstream. I praise Bridesmaids for bringing that humor with women forward. It helped bring about Pitch Perfect which was hysterical and wonderfully entertaining to hear insane things come out of the mouths of Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson. Both actresses come back for more hilarity and insanity in Pitch Perfect 2 and even more bawdy and raunchy humor.

            Since the first Pitch Perfect movie the Barden Bellas have dominated the world of accapella group competitions. They are chosen to sing at President Obama’s birthday at the Kennedy Center in DC. Their routine goes over really well until Fat Amy (Wilson) does an in the acrobatic routine and splits her costume revealing parts of her that the whole world does not want to see. Even though the clothing malfunction was an accident the Bellas are band from competing and from their victory tour they were about to go on. And they cannot audition any new members. Chloe (Brittany Snow) finds a loop hole that will let them compete in a huge international competition. Their only serious competition is the German accapella group Das Sound Machine. The group has a lot of members and incredible sound. They are lead by a woman that Beca has a hard time getting herself together and makes her sexually confused in the most hilarious of ways.

            Emily (Hailee Steinfeld) is a freshman at Barden College. Her mother (Katey Sagal) was a Bella and it means everything to both of them if Emily makes it into the group. Emily idolizes the Bellas for all they have achieved and also because she is a legacy. Since the Bellas were not allowed to perform to get new students to try out Emily finds the Bellas at their house. She technically came to them so they are not breaking the rule of auditioning people and let her in.

            While all of this is going on Beca (Kendrick) has gotten an internship at a record company. She knows the Bellas are not her whole life and this internship might possibly lead to something for her. The producer wants a new sound for Snoop Dog’s Christmas album. He does not want a traditional sound. No one comes up with any ideas so Beca comes in and with the help of a soundboard and singing a different Christmas song on top of the one Snoop is singing creates the sound the producer is looking for. He wants her to give him a demo of her work. Now on top of creating mixes for the Bellas Beca also now has to create a demo.

            The Bellas perform at some event with a bunch of old people and it is a disaster. Chloe decides that the best thing for all of them to do is to go on a retreat to find their sound again and get closer together since they are all drifting apart. They go to a retreat out in the middle of the woods run by former Bella Aubrey (Anna Camp). After getting out a lot of frustrations about each other and themselves the Bellas come back to school stronger and ready to kick some ass in the international finals.

            If you cannot guess who wins the international finals then you obviously live under a ginormous movie rock and need to get out from underneath it.

            Anna Kendrick is fucking amazing. I love this girl as a human being and an actress so much. Her delivery of Beca’s snarky lines is so spot on. I was laughing so hard in her scenes where Beca is around the German woman and cannot handle how sexually confused she is around her. Rebel Wilson was really funny. There was a scene with Fat Amy during the retreat that cracked me up so much that I had tears running down my cheek. It was also a scene that I was so excited to hear/see in a chick/teen flick. I have to admit as much as I liked the first Pitch Perfect I had no plans on seeing the second one… that is until I found out that Flula Borg was in it. If you have not seen the movie yet he is the German guy in the trailers on TV in the mesh black shirt. If you have never even heard of Flula just stop reading this right now and go check him out on his YouTube channel. The guy is so damn funny (especially in his collaborations with Mamrie Hart. FLAMRIE!!!!) he puts on such a great act and his songs he comes up with are so wacky. If you do not want to hug Flula after watching one of his videos or even after seeing the movie than you need to go away off this earth. Hailee Steinfeld was adorable. I really liked her character because she did a great job playing Emily. I liked how Emily was the fan girl getting to hang with her faves. She gets to do what every fan girl dreams of, ha ha.

            Elizabeth Banks did a wonderful job directing the movie. Her direction gave the story a little more heart than the first one.

            Pitch Perfect 2 was a good time. I did not go in expecting anything mind blowing or fantastic. I just went into it that I liked enjoyed the first one and I knew I would enjoy this one. And how could I have been let down with Flula Borg as one of the evil Germans? The story was predictable as most are these days. You can tell that by bringing in Hailee Steinfeld that they are hoping to do another Pitch Perfect with her as the leader of the Bellas. I did not mind paying the money to see Pitch Perfect 2 in theaters. If you liked the first movie it is worth seeing in theaters. I may even get it when it is out on Blu Ray… majorly on sale. 

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)

“Since the last games, something is different. I can see it.”

 “What can you see?”

“Hope.”

            The Hunger Games: Catching Fire sees Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Melark (Josh Hutcherson) the victors of the 75^th Hunger Games. There was only supposed to be one victor but Katniss saved Peeta. President Snow (Donald Sutherland) sees Katniss as a threat. Because of her actions some of the Districts are beginning to rebel. He comes to her home and tells her she better sell that she and Peeta are madly in love. If Katniss cannot convince the president everyone one she loves will be killed.

            Katniss and Peeta are sent out on a winners’ tour. Their first stop is District Eleven where Rue was from. Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) has written their speeches. Peeta speaks first. He begins to read from the cards but then goes off on his own. Katniss follows Peeta’s example and talks about Rue. An old man in the crowd whistles and holds up three fingers. Soon everyone in the crowd is doing the same thing. The Peacekeepers crash into the crowd, grab the old man, and shoot him in the head. Katniss is mortified she cannot believe what has happened to the poor man. For the rest of the tour Katniss and Peeta stick to their written speeches. The crowds in the lower Districts want them to speak their minds but Katniss and Peeta know they must play by the rules.

            Plutarch Heavensbee (Phillip Seymour Hoffam) has been chosen as the new Game Maker. President Snow wants Katniss dead. Plutarch tells the president to have patience. He will come up with a way for the people to kill her. President Snow has a better idea. He plans to have her killed in the Quarter Quell. The Quarter Quell happens every twenty-five years and it has conveniently been twenty-five years since the last one.

            Katniss is of course picked for the Quarter Quell because she is the only female from District Twelve that has won. Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) was picked. He and Katniss made an agreement that Peeta was picked he would take Peeta’s place. But Haymitch says if Peeta volunteers there is nothing he can do. Peeta does volunteer. During the interviews in The Capital Katniss comes out in Cinna’s (Lenny Kravitz) newest dress. It is a white wedding dress but when she spins around it turns into a black dress in the style of a mockingjay, the symbol of the rebellion. When Peeta is interviewed he is asked about their wedding that had to be postponed because of the Quarter Quell. In the interview he says that he and were secretly married because they are going to have a baby (which is not true but their camp thought the Quell would be halted). At the end of the interview with all the former winners they all hold hands. The feed is cut out.

            During training the winners from the lower Districts want to be allies with Katniss and Peeta. Peeta wants to be allies with the stronger ones, the Careers from District One. Katniss was to be allies with the smarter ones like Beetee, Wiress, Mags, and Finnick because they have useful skills and they are the outcasts.

            They are brought to an arena styled like an island. When they leave their pods they have to swim to get to their weapons. Peeta is almost drowned and Katniss is almost killed by a Career. Katniss and Peeta team up with Finnick and Mags and travel through the jungle surrounding the beach. They come to a part of an island that is electrified. Katniss figures out they are in a dome that keeps them in a certain area. During the nights they are chased by poisonous smoke (that winds up killing Mags) and evil monkeys. Wiress keeps saying “tick tock” and one of them figures out that the arena is like a clock and something happens in certain sections at different times.

            Beetee comes up with the idea to electrify the beach to kill the Careers. The plan almost works until one of the Careers cuts the cable line. Johanna (Jena Malone) from District Seven has been one of the allies. When the Career comes Johanna does something to Katniss’s arm creating a big gash in it. Katniss manages to get back to the tree where the lightning strikes it at a certain time and where Beetee has wrapped wire all around it. She finds a handmade dagger and comes up with the idea to wrap the wire around it and shoot it up into the electric force field.

            Katniss’s quick thinking works. The entire force field comes crashing down. She is electrocuted. As she fades out of consciousness she is picked up by a plane that is usually sent to take away the dead bodies. When Katniss comes to she is lying on the floor next to an unconscious Beetee. She walks into a room and sees Haymitch, Plutarch, and Finnick standing around a table. All three men and Peeta and some of the other former winners had been part of a plan to keep her alive. She has become the face and the hope of the rebellion.

            All the characters were once again perfect and excellently cast. My favorite casting choice in this movie was Jena Malone as Johanna. Malone always seems to play those tough girls without a care. She definitely had the attitude for Johanna. My favorite part of the movie was when Johanna gets in the same elevator as Peeta, Katniss, and Haymitch and just strips down in front of them. Jennifer Lawrence’s face was so damn funny in this scene was dying laughing. Speaking of Jennifer Lawrence… every time I see this girl in a movie I adore and admire her even more. She is such a good actress. Phillip Seymour Hoffman was such a weird casting choice. He is such an odd looking man. I seriously cannot even look at him after watching The Master it was such an odd movie and his character was so whacked out. I wondered why he was not wearing an outrageous get up like everyone else and then I though he does not even need it he is so out there already. 

            I absolutely loved Catching Fire. This was definitely my favorite books out of the series because it is when everything just completely comes undone and Katniss is a part of something she never could have even imagined. I liked the idea of everyone having hope and that hope was all driving them to do what needed to be done and it gave them all courage. All I have to say is thank the good lord I read the books so I am not waiting for the next movie to see what happens. Even if you have not read the books you have to see Catching Fire it was a fantastic movie. 

The Hunger Games (2012)

“Hope. It is the only thing stronger than fear.”

            Last year all my friends were telling me to read The Hunger Games. A few years ago I made the mistake of reading the Twilight series so I was not keen on ever reading another young adult series again. My one friend told me The Hunger Games are all about love and the main character is great. Another friend raved about them. So I borrowed the books from one of my friends. I liked the story but I was not thrilled with them. I wanted to see the movie but some people told me it was really good and others said it sucked. Well I thank the retail gods for putting The Hunger Games movie on Blu Ray for only $7.99 because I bought it and thought it was awesome.

            If you do not know what The Hunger Games is all about here is a synopsis:

            In the future in a place called Panem there are twelve districts with District One or The Capital being the wealthiest and District Twelve the poorest. Many, many years previously there was an uprising and with this uprising came the destruction of District Thirteen and its people. In honor of this uprising and to teach the people a lesson every year The Hunger Games are held. The Hunger Games takes a boy and a girl from ages twelve to eighteen from each District and makes them all fight to the death until only one is left. Many of the Districts after Three never have a chance since they are poor and cannot train. The ones in Districts One through Three are called “Careers” because they can spend their whole lives training.

            The story focuses on a young girl named Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) from District Twelve. Katniss and her friend Gale (Liam Hemsworth) keep their families fed by hunting in the woods. They sneak out beyond the electric fence. Katniss is skilled at using her bow and arrows. Her younger sister Prim is now eligible for the Games. Katniss tells Prim she should not really worry since it is her first year and her name is only entered once.

            Unfortunately Prim is chosen for the Games. Katniss runs up to the front yelling that she volunteers to go in Prim’s place. The boy that is chosen is Peeta Melark (Josh Hutcherson). Katniss and Peeta are taken to The Capital to take place in a huge ceremony and interviews. All of the people that have been chosen get to train and work on their skills. On the day they are to show their skills to the sponsors Katniss messes up on a shoot and the sponsors laugh at her and do not pay attention to her. To get them to notice her she shoots one of the arrows directly into an apple in a pig’s mouth. All the sponsors are impressed and she receives the highest score of eleven.

            During the interviews Peeta reveals that he and Katniss are in love. They really are not but he does that so they can get sponsors. Katniss is not happy about what he has done without her knowing but she eventually plays along knowing sponsors will love it.

            The contestants are thrown into an arena made by the Game Makers. The arena is Katniss’s strength. They are all throne into the woods. Katniss thrives in this environment. She teams up with a small girl from District Eleven named Rue. Rue reminds Katniss of Prim. Unfortunately Rue is killed. Katniss makes a sign to the people of District Eleven and sparks the people there into a frenzy of revolt.

            The Game Makers want to play up the “star crossed lovers” angle so they make the announcement that if a boy and girl from the same district are left they will both win. Katniss and Peeta are the only ones left alive. The Game Makers change their minds and now only one person must live. Neither Katniss or Peeta want to kill the other. Katniss gives Peeta some poison berries so neither one will live. The Game Makers have no choice but to accept them both as winners.

            Katniss’s action has set off a chain reaction she had no intention of ever setting.

            All the actors were perfectly cast. Jennifer Lawrence is just brilliant. Katniss is an emotional, loving, strong willed girl and Lawrence was perfect. Josh Hutcherson was alright but I think it is the character of Peeta I was not crazy about him in the books. My favorite casting was Lenny Kravitz as Cinna Katniss’s costume designer. He had the look and the attitude of a designer. I really liked his chemistry with Lawrence too you can tell they had a great love for each other as friends. Elizabeth Banks is just awesome. I have seen her in plenty of films especially her comedies and I think she was perfect as Effie Trinket. I am glad to see that she was cast in a big movie like this. Liam Hemsworth was total eye candy in his scenes. He made a good Gale.

            I really liked the direction by Gary Ross. It almost reminded me of a surrealist film the way it was filmed. It was an interesting choice to film a teen movie in this way. I liked how there were some scenes that were filmed from unconventional/different angles. Ross’s direction is more than half the reason I liked The Hunger Games so much.

            The Hunger Games is a great movie with a great story. I like stories where the character comes from a normal/humble background and something extraordinary happens to them and their life and their world just completely changes. Highly recommend seeing The Hunger Games whether you have read the books or not especially for the cast and the direction.