The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2

The Hunger Games is one of those series that I never really give any thought towards until the next film comes around, and apparently it’s been a year since Mockingjay - Part 1. Francis Lawrence - who has directed all but the first of the films – has returned to wrap-up the young-adult series with Mockingjay - Part 2. 

The nation of Panem is now in the midst of a civil war, with the rebels led by President Coin (Julianne Moore) looking to assassinate President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and unify the districts. Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) is recovering from the injuries that Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) has caused her and their relationship is in turmoil as he becomes more and more unstable. The time has come to take down President Snow, with the rebels planning to film Katniss assassinating him as the ultimate piece of propaganda. 

Traversing through the Capitol to reach the palace is a challenge. Snow has evacuated the perimeter and transformed it into a sadistic minefield of unique ways to die. Katniss and the District 13 unit undertake the challenging mission with her friends Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Finnick (Sam Claflin) and Cressida (Natalie Dormer), who is to direct the propaganda piece. This is their best chance to take down Snow’s regime, but it’s certainly no easy task. 

There are some interesting side-stories in Part 2 that jazz up the arcs of the various characters - such as Peeta’s inability to control himself at points due to the Capitol's brainwashing, and Finnick’s marriage which gives his character more of a reason to fight for Panem’s freedom - and this is essentially still an ensemble film, however the ‘will they, won’t they, and with whom?’ love triangle between, Katniss, Peeta and Gale is beginning to wear extremely thin, and is resolved in both an expected and confusing way. The same can be said for most of the film, it reaches the point that you knew it would, but in a convoluted and stretched-out manner. Most of the film feels like a montage and is at times, difficult to follow. They could have had about five end-points before they finally finish with such an overly-sentimental, unnecessary scene that it actually detracts from the quality of the film. It’s as if the producers were desperately trying to hold on to the only half-decent Young Adult film series they have. 

On top of this there are plot-holes and timing issues that quite noticeably screw with the sense of immersion. For example at the beginning of the film, following on from the injuries she sustained at the end of the last, Katniss is almost completely unable to speak. However, no more than five minutes later, she’s up and having a healthy conversation with President Coin and Plutarch - the last filmic appearance of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman and a reminder that this movie was (largely) filmed years ago, at the same time as Part 1. Perhaps that’s why it feels so rushed. It’s uncertain how much time is passing throughout Mockingjay - Part 2, and that removes much of the tension that it works so needlessly to build up. 

To redeem itself from some of these issues, Mockingjay - Part 2 does have some pretty intense fight sequences, including a weird hot-oil chase and a sewer-system scene which is either a homage or a shameless rip-off of Aliens, depending on how you view it. The concept of President Snow evacuating the outskirts of the Capitol and filling the streets with a system of eloquent booby-traps is a pretty cool idea, but it does feel a bit-too much like it’s YA competitor The Maze Runner - perhaps it’s a big F-You from the author, Suzanne Collins to Maze Runner’s James Dashner. 

Past issues with the characters again crop-up again here, with Natalie Dormer’s Cressida as annoying as ever, Woody Harrelson barely making an appearance, and Moore’s President Coin a bland mirror of Snow, preaching a distorted view of what ultimately becomes the same ideology. President Snow is still pretty much the only likable character for me, with his eccentric bond-villian persona the guilty pleasure of the series, played expertly by the great Donald Sutherland. Although I must say Katniss is suitably badass for such a finale. Ultimately though I care about as much for the characters as I do for the world that they inhabit. 

For an impartial-viewer, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 is a relatively satisfying, albeit overly long and convoluted conclusion to a series that’s never particularly gelled with me. It has its issues but keeps your attention fairly well. If you’re a massive fan, I can’t speak for how much you’ll enjoy it, but it’s certainly worth a watch even if only to serve as a catharsis for the many hours you’ve already spent delving into this series.

Love & Mercy

Bill Pohlad's biopic of The Beach Boys front man Brian Wilson is not only an enjoyable film about the life of a dark, tortured individual, but also a refreshing take on the structure and style that biopics are usually delivered. In the film, Wilson is portrayed by two actors, Paul Dano and John Cusack, both at different stages of his life.

In the 1960s, Brian Wilson (Paul Dano) is looking to take a break from touring with the Beach Boys and stay in the studio to focus on writing what he thinks will be a masterpiece. When the band returns from their tour, they are less than satisfied with his results, especially his cousin Mike Love (Jake Abel). Also affecting his relationships is the fact that Brian begins to display signs of strangeness, caused mainly by mental illness and drug abuse. In the 1980s, Brian (John Cusack) is a broken man who is under the spell of sinister psychotherapist Eugene Landy (Paul Giamatti), who controls Brian's every move. When Brian meets and begins to date car saleswoman Melinda Ledbetter (Elizabeth Banks), does she recognise the abusive situation that Brian is in and tries to get him out.

Pohlad has created both a visually stunning and creatively invigorating film. The two timelines of the film complement each other perfectly despite not having any interaction or crossover apart from the character of Wilson. The timelines also have their own unique visual palates, with the 60s having a fun, bright and colourful look (while the studio sequences have been filmed with 16mm cameras to give a fly on the wall feel) and the 80s has an almost muted look, but not drained of colour. The tones of the timeline also play off each other well, with the 60s matching fun that the band was having, while the 80s plays into the fear that Brian was experiencing.

I've never been a huge Beach Boys fan, but I definitely know their music. After watching this movie, half of which is set during the recording of the now classic album Pet Sounds, I have a better appreciation of the conditions a lot of these bands made their records under, as well as the personal stresses some went through. Wilson is a completely sympathetic character throughout the entire film and in each era has his external critics (Love and Landy).

Whilst having multiple actors portray the same character is no new territory (the Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There had six actors portray the singer), Love & Mercy splits the two different actors into two distinct characters. Pohlad allowed both Dano and Cusack to play Wilson in their own way, but did not let them interact whilst making the film, lest they influence each other. This really works for the benefit of the film because the two styles are completely different. Dano works exceptionally well as the excited young Wilson, who is ultimately frustrated and confused by his illness. Cusack is phenomenal as the older Wilson and is really playing against type of the films of his youth, like Say Anything and High Fidelity. Both actors have such strong and diverse careers that have given them skills that shine through in this role.

Whilst Elizabeth Banks has never intrigued me much as an actor, as Melinda she really shows off her talents as someone who can tackle hard hitting dramatic roles. Paul Giamatti is once again perfect and so scary as the evil Eugene Landy. His performances as evil characters are always chilling to watch. Stage actor Bill Camp also brings a terrifying performance as Wilson's father Murry.

Even if you don't like The Beach Boys music, Love & Mercy is a great film to watch about a heartbreaking story. Both Dano and Cusack give superb performances that will stay with me for a long time.

The Lego Movie

The Lego Movie takes the family film to a whole new level. Not only is it fantastically self-aware and satirical, it has jokes that will please the whole family. Back this up with a huge and amazing cast, as well as a great soundtrack by Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh with songs that will get stuck in your head long after you finish watching.

The story centres on Emmet (Chris Pratt), a regular construction worker who loves to fit in and follow the rules. One day after his shift finishes, Emmet gets entangled in a plot to destroy the world by the evil villain and president Lord Business (Will Ferrell), who plans to use a relic known as Kragle (which turns out to be Krazy Glue missing some letters). Emmet is mistaken to be the Special and taken by Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) to the blind wizard Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman), who tells Emmet that he is the chosen one to take down Lord Business.

The best jokes in this film come mainly from the movie's characters self awareness that they live in a world made of Lego. Emmet cannot build things without an instruction manual of which there are several big ones in the construction yard (the kind that come with all Lego sets). There are also references to many famous Lego sets of the past 40 years, including the famous Classic Space line of the early 80s.

Also there are a great number of parodical and satirical jokes. Some of these are references to real first world problems (# not included) such as exorbitant prices for cups of coffee. Others are very funny in-jokes aimed at the film industry, such as the relationship between Superman, voiced by Channing Tatum, and Green Lantern, voiced by Jonah Hill (both Tatum and Hill starred in 21 Jump Street).

There are also a great number of cameos aside from the two aforementioned. These include Shaquille O'Neal, Will Forte, Liam Neeson, Will Arnett as Batman and one of my favourite actors (if you read my blog regularly, you'll be well acquainted with my affinity for) Charlie Day.

The animation in the film is also amazing. It is done in a way that looks like it is stop-motion capturing whilst still being computer generated. Apart from some real objects that appear in the film, everything is made of actual Lego pieces that come in the sets. Toward the end of the film there are some life action scenes that work really well and don't interrupt the flow when they cut back to the animation.

Verdict: A really funny and smart film that will appeal to everyone.