Movie: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Action, Adventure, Sci Fi

I am joining the masses in swooning over Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook, Winter's Bone) - she is amazing, though I'm more impressed with how she handles herself in the spotlight. She is a proper role model for young girls. This isn't her best film by a long way but I have to applaud her for making me more sympathetic to Katniss.

When I read these books (by Suzanne Collins) Katniss annoyed the absolute hell out of me. She is even more complacent than Bella (Twilight). She seems to achieve things but really it's more the people around her helping her. You don't get any of her internal monologue in the films - thank goodness - because she spends most of the time completely oblivious to the things going on around her. I felt like slapping her sometimes. JLaw seems to bring a bit more confidence to the character, which I like.

The two love interests - yes, I said two - are Peeta (Josh Hutcherson - Red Dawn, Bridge To Terabithia) the baker's boy who's always had a thing for Katniss and fellow Hunger Games winner, and Gale (Aussie Liam Hemsworth - Neighbours, Paranoia) Katniss' best friend and hunting partner. Unfortunately for Katniss and Gale, in order to win the Hunger Games Katniss and Peeta had to pretend to be madly in love. This is where the books annoyed me; it's damn obvious to us that Peeta actually has real feelings for Katniss but she is so absorbed in her own self and not being able to have Gale that she completely disregards Peeta. Ugh! There is a little of this in the film but it's not nearly as blatant as in the books.

Stand out performances for me were Effie Trinket played by Elizabeth Banks (Zack and Miri Make a Porno, 30 Rock) and her amazing outfits! Donald Sutherland (Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie, MASH) as the nefarious President Snow. Lenny Kravitz as Cinna (sobs). Stanley Tucci (Burlesque, Captain America) as the very bronzed Caesar. Philip Seymour Hoffman (Moneyball, Almost Famous) as the new game maker, Plutarch Heavensbee. Woody Harrelson (Zombieland, Natural Born Killers) as drunken Haymitch. And finally, Sam Claflin (Snow White and The Huntsman) as Finnick Odair.

This film was much better than the first and I'm sure the next one will be even better! That's the way it was with the books too, it's got a really nice build up and by the end the whole game has changed. I can't think of anything from the books that I missed in the film. The arena was just as I imagined it from the Lightning Tree to the Tsunami. Well done!

Next film we get to see The Mockingjay in action! Can't wait!

4 out of 5 crazy false eyelashes...

Movie: Snow White and The Huntsman (2012)

Snow White and The Huntsman (2012)
Action, Adventure, Drama

I went into the film feeling pretty so-so and I think that has affected this review. Kristen Stewart gives me the shits, she does this stupid thing with her mouth (that's what she said) that makes her look like a stunned mullet. I'm going to screen cap it so that you will never be able to think of anything else except how derpa she looks.

On top of the face, she is a terrible actress. Has anyone seen any of her other stuff....besides Twilight? Adventureland? Into The Wild? Both terrible movies and her character is the same in them all! For goodness sake, someone give her a character with substance so we can all finally realise how bad she actually is! Argh!  At least she can pull off the English accent, which pretty much anyone can do. How is she famous?

Thank God for Charlize Theron (The Italian Job)! She is so amazing, I'm in awe. It's not easy to say the "Mirror, Mirror" line without sounding bloody ridiculous.... Charlize manages it somehow. She is the saving grace of this film I think and I was more interested in her story than I ever was of Snow. Want more Evil Queen, Ravenna!

Even though Chris Hemsworth (Thor, The Avengers) is in this too but I found his character a little underwhelming and therefore have nothing to say about him... Raffey Cassidy (Dark Shadows) was just adorable as the young Snow White, maybe they should have let her do the whole film! Sam Claflin (Pirates: On Stranger Tides) is William, who I'm assuming is meant to be like a Prince Charming character? I don't know... I also just wanted to point out how nice it was to actually see Snow's mum (Liberty Ross), normally she's gone by the time we enter the story.

Even though I really didn't like this film overly much, the visual effects were pretty good in some places, such as the milk bath (as seen in preview). Brilliant, so well filmed. The hallucinations were also well done, a little foggy and stumbly as they should be, plus there were some of the weirdest looking fairies I've ever seen....

I found myself criticizing everything, like; the horse was just sitting there waiting for her? I guess they were trying to bring a little Cinderella into it, what with her bird companions, the horse, the white stag and the troll plus being locked in the tower and her filthy face - as in literally dirty, haha. Then she just leaves the horse to die? Bitch! That scene did remind me of The NeverEnding Story when Atreyu loses his horse, Artax *sobs*

They've left it really open ended for a sequel and I did hear rumours about Snow being the main character but after the scandal of Stewart and director, Rupert Sanders, they canned that idea and are now looking to do a sequel based around the character of The Huntsman; a much better idea in my opinion.

I almost prefer Mirror Mirror... at least that one blatantly makes fun of itself... I found the preview misleading, I thought Snow would be a warrior leading her people into battle but she's just as soft as she always is...

3 out of 5 duckface...