Today's Review: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1

It's been (quite!) a while, but I finally got around to visit another press screening for MS and post the result here:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/158000/the_hunger_games_mockingjay_-_part_1_-_recensie

This film series doesn't seem to get any worse, despite all the young adult franchise trademarks trying to put a dent in its reputation. Splitting a book into two movies was obviously a financial move on the studio's part, and undoubtedly will pay off big time. However, that doesn't hinder the movie from being a solid piece of work, despite not being a whole story. It's best compared to the first installment of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which underwent a similar theatrical treatment and enjoys equally similar themes in its story of teenagers on the run for a ruthless government. Plus, it's on the same level of quality. Character development is at an all-time high in Mockingjay - Part 1, thanks to a plot that doesn't leave much room, or need, for big bombastic action scenes or endless droning about which bland boy Katniss likes to kiss most, though there's still a few of those interspersed here and there. Politics and intrigue are thriving, as Katniss finds herself in the company of new allies who are not all that different from the Capitol regime she just escaped, in their unrelenting zealousness to bring the dictatorship down. Thanks to the talented cast - mainly, Jennifer Lawrence and all the experienced veterans featured in way too small parts: the rest of the younger cast leaves less of an impression, as before - and a director who once again shows he knows what he's doing, the movie forms a compelling continuation of Catching Fire as well as a great set-up for the finale. It comes complete with a cliffhanger that makes you want to check out the ending at the earliest opportunity. Which unfortunately you won't get for another year's time. Job well done, then.

And boy, did I have fun this last week mocking people for having seen this much anticipated film a week earlier than everybody else. One of the most appealing aspects of press screenings but not one of the most laudable character traits of those who visit them, I'll freely admit.

Today's Mini-Review: What Maisie Knew

What Maisie Knew: ***/*****, or 6/10

Some children are blessed with loving parents, while others are stuck with horribly egocentric folk that just can't get along, to the detriment of their offspring. Poor Maisie (young newcomer Onata Aprile, only 7 years old at the time of shooting) unfortunately has to contend with the latter, as her terrible excuses for parents, played by Julianne Moore and Steve Coogan, simply cannot see eye to eye about anything and only communicate by shouting at each other and arguing ad nauseam. Maisie can't remember ever seeing them in another, happier state of their relationship and has gotten used to their constant petty bickering, but doesn't let it get her down as she tries to make the best of it. Of course, the question always on our mind is: does she understand that the emotionally unhealthy environment she's growing up in is not the regular way for children to mature? Could she ever choose between her mother or her father if it came down to it as they are both lobbying for her unwavering love? Coogan and Moore certainly excel in playing people you just can't help but hate for how they're so obviously ruining Maisie's childhood, a fact they ignore becayse they are more concerned for besting the other in winning Maisie's love. While we are busy detesting these horrible guardians for causing her to accept a living condition that is quite simply unacceptable to behold for anybody with a slightest sense of reponsibility, hope looms on the horizon as her parents both mix up with just the right people to turn her life into a more positive direction. Her father marries her foreign (Scottish) nanny, while her mother hooks up with a seemingly not so bright, tall guy (Alexander Skarsgård attempting to shed some of that sinister, scheming vampire image of his, courtesy of True Blood, by playing a sweet, easily likeable bartender). Unfortunately the story soon progresses in the most predictable of directions as these two people, who actually care more about Maisie as a person than as a means of annoying the other by acquiring custody of the girl, come to understand just how easy it is to love this charming child and agree how much she deserves to be taken care of by decent folks. And naturally they can't help themselves by also falling in love with each other when they realize just what a manipulative, sleazy people Moore and Coogan are, abusing both them and Maisie for their own purposes as they keep up their disgusting little power play. In terms of plot development, we soon come to know that What Maisie Knew has little surprises to offer while delivering its fairly repetitive, one-sided melodrama. The film makes up for this in the acting department, where young Aprile stuns the audience with a most exceptional, truly inspiring and convincing performance; a remarkably rare occurrence for such a young child, but a solid promise for her future career in acting should she decide to keep it up (we can only hope). While the adult actors go through the motions in a more regular fashion, which isn't devoid of merit but simply not nearly as mesmerizing, Aprile carries the film as very few other actresses her age could ever have done, proving just how much truth there is in that old adage that good casting is doing half the work. What Maisie Knew is just average in all other regards, but a fabulous performance like this is well worth checking out, as it is so seldom witnessed.

Today's Mini-Review: Don Jon

Don Jon: ****/*****, or 7/10

Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars in and wrote this film, his directorial debut, which in a comedic tone explores the life of a porn-addict: apparently the fringes of socially accepted sexual behavior continue to be of interest to him (e.g. Mysterious Skin, where he played a young hustler). Jon (G-L) apparently has it all: he's good looking, has a nice car, some close friends to bro down with, he loves his family and his church and he can all too easily score with girls. But what interests him the most is porn, the only thing he can totally loose himself in. Real girls just don't cut it compared to the wild excess he witnesses in porn. And that's not likely to change, until he meets 'perfect dime' Barbara (Scarlett Johansson) at his local club and starts actively pursuing her, as she's the closest he has ever come to falling in love with anyone. Unfortunately for him, Barbara doesn't make it easy and has a long list of changes in store, not so much for him as to satiate her own view of what a prospective partner ought to be. Porn is unsurprisingly off the table, as is lying, after which Jon soon discovers how much of an addict he really is, as he can't stop watching the former and consequently doing the latter. Set in an outrageous stereotypical 'Joysee' milieu (if you can't stand those awfully annoying accents you would do well to stay away from this film), Don Jon proves a quirky, at times witty comedy that makes no illusions it doesn't have grand notions to share with its audience when it comes to addictions, porn or otherwise. Its ultimate message appears to be 'if you want to find real love, be yourself and don't let it change you into someone you're not'. It doesn't take the audience long to learn that lesson – unlike Jon himself, fairly thick-headed as he is: he concurrently, much to his dismay, learns too late there's an option to erase his online browsing history too – as we swiftly see Barbara for what she is: a vain and overly demanding broad who insists Jon must give up his idiosyncrasies and private aspirations to satisfy her personal take on a good match, all brainwashed by the absurd simplistic fairy tales she takes for real life that she has seen in too many romantic comedies, which Don Jon convincingly equates with pornography, except the female counterpart. The stuff seen in typical Hollywood dreck about romance and marriage – exemplified by a short sample of such fare featuring funny cameos by Anne Hathaway and Channing Tatum – is just as much a work of gender defining fantasy as the carnal possibilities porn generally delivers, and a successful match that triggers genuine love both compromises and balances these two paradigms. It takes Jon a lot longer to realize this than us, the audience, though we are surprised at the outcome as he eventually runs off with someone we wouldn't have expected (thanks to the typical cinematic standards Hollywood has imbued us with, which Don Jon sometimes feels like breaking). Meanwhile, we are treated to a gutsy comedy that only narrowly escaped an NC-17 rating thanks to all the talk about hardcore sexual intercourse (the film's end credits reveal the Pornhub site was a minor partner, while a pornography consultant was also employed). Admittedly, it does come off as preachy a bit towards its climax, at which point the number of laughs also drops, but until that time we witness a strong cast deliver terrifically funny performances with a good sense of timing. Gordon-Levitt and Johansson are particularly hilarious as the would-be star couple, evenly matched towards one another and fortunately sharing a good deal of chemistry. Also of note is Julianne Moore as an oddball older woman in a semi-mentor role that ends up differently than we might have foreseen. As a director and writer, G-L is off to a decent start as he clearly inspires enthusiasm in his fellow actors and successfully balances both directorial duties and a star performance, while tackling a fairly heavy topic with surprising ease, albeit for laughs more than for actual audience contemplation.

The Lost World Series 1: Sarah Harding

Year of release: 1997

Accessories:

-Net Launcher (with net)

-Camera

-Stegosaurus hatchling

Description: Sarah sports short green pants, along with a beige vest over a red shirt. She has dark brown boots, a black watch on her right wrist, a black belt and a JP Site B patch on her right shoulder. She has a total of six pockets on her outfit. Sarah is red haired and has a pony tail, as well as a loose strain of hair running round her left cheek. She also has red eye brows, as well as very blue eyes. It has been said there is also a variant of this figure sporting red lipstick. Sarah stands in a rather neutral pose, except she has her arms raised upwards somewhat, especially her right arm.

This figure comes with a net launching device, which isn’t mobile, i.e. it can only stand on the ground and is to be used separately from the figure. It looks very mechanic and has more detailing than appears necessary, for it only requires pressing a lever on the back end to launch the net. The launcher sports a metallic shiny grey paint job. The net itself isn’t very big and thus only handy to catch smaller dinosaurs with, like hatchlings. The net is made up of two long red sticks with a black cloth like net in between. Sarah also carries a small camera, which can be hung around her neck. It too sports a silvery grey paint job, though in a lighter shade than the net launcher.

The Stegosaurus hatchling stands in a walking posture, with its head turned to its left, and the tail turned to the right. Its right front leg and left hind leg are attached to each other. The animal has tiny plates on its back and no spikes at the end of its tail, making it obvious this is a juvenile. The underside of the animal (most of the head and flanks, the belly, legs, lower tail and throat) are all pink, with the upper body (its back, plates, neck and upper tail) coloured in a darker tone, sort of brownish purple. In between the two colours there’s a dark red stripe, running from the back of the head to the end of the tail. The little Stego has black eyes and a black JP Site B logo on its left hind leg.

Analysis: being one of the very few female figures of the JP toy lines (not counting the dinosaurs), Sarah is probably the best of them. She looks very feminine and has a cool (and relatively tight) outfit, sporting a fine paint job. The designers probably had fun creating this sculpt, since they put some neat details on her: for one thing she has a unique hair style, with a pony tail and even a loose string of hair. She also has nails on her fingers. She stands in a good pose, though her arms could have been positioned more downward.

Her net launcher is less impressive. It looks rather bulky and heavy, and doesn’t work all too well. The net easily falls off the device and gets in the way of the lever, so that activating it isn’t all that easy to do. Also, the device is very lightly build and needs to be supported by hand in order for it not to flip backwards when attempting to launch the net. Even if launched, the net doesn’t go far: it’s range is about 30 centimetres at best and it usually doesn’t land on the spot you want it to, not counting a possible lucky shot. This net launcher just isn’t very well designed. The camera Sarah carries is a fine little addition, though it could have used more detail qua paint job. It can be hung around Sarah’s neck like a real camera, so that one can pretend she’s taking pictures of dinosaurs.

In that regard having this set feature a young Stegosaurus is a good choice, because this way the set is very much like Sarah’s first scene from the TLW film in which she tries to take a picture of a little Stegosaurus and all hell breaks lose with its parents. This baby Stegosaurus doesn’t look exactly like the one seen in the movie, but it’s an adequate replacement. Though it’s paint job isn’t very good, it does look really cute. 

 

Playability: well enough. Sarah has the usual moveable body parts, though her arms might have been posed in a more convenient manner. The net launcher isn’t really good and doesn’t work properly most of the times, but fortunately Sarah can hold the net herself and thus use it without the launcher. The camera gives her some extra options. The Stegosaurus stands in a fairly neutral position, but like all hatchlings has no poseable parts.

Realism: like stated above, this set is like a copy from a scene in the movie; it has Sarah, a camera and a Stegosaurus hatchling. Still, there are some differences between these figures and their movie counterparts. Sarah herself sports a different set of clothes in the movie, but this figure’s face looks very much like Julianne Moore as seen in TLW. I’m not sure whether the camera is the same type or brand shown in the film, but it’s close enough anyway. The Stegosaurus is also different, mostly in colour and size, since the baby seen in the movie was about as big as a human and mostly green. Still, because of the tiny plates and lack of spikes on its tail it’s clear we’re dealing with a hatchling here. And of course it looks cute, just as in the movie.

Repaint: no. None of the things this set consists of would be repainted for later series either.

Overall rating: 8/10. This is probably the best human figure in the TLWS1 toy line. Sarah looks very cool and her face resembles Julianne Moore’s a lot. The net launcher isn’t too good, but the net itself still comes in handy. The little Stegosaurus is just plain cute. Unfortunately this figure is definitely harder to find than the other TLWS1 figures, but not yet impossibly so. It usually fetches much higher prices though, so take that into account when looking for this one.

Children of Men

Rating: ****/*****, or 8/10

Depressing and gritty picture regarding a dystopian world in the not too distant future where women have lost the ability to get pregnant and have babies, after which humanity has abandoned all hope to avoid its own demise and society has degenerated to the verge of total collapse. Clive Owen lends himself perfectly in the role of grim and cynical would-be hero Theo, who is asked by his activist ex-wife (Julianne Moore) to transport a young woman, miraculously pregnant, to a safe haven where she might help scientists to figure out a way to save mankind from its looming extinction. However, other factions, more nefarious in nature, mean to appropriate the girl for their own revolutionary purposes, so Theo has a hell of a job getting her out of England alive, guiding her across the leftovers of the once quaint English country side and through a nightmarish ghetto where human lives mean next to nothing. Taking elements from classic dystopian texts, including Orwell's 1984, as well as referencing to recent actuality (including Abu-Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay), Cuarón portrays a very depraved England in a society close to committing suicide, where the absence of children has seemingly made humanity lose the ability to care about anything, after which it really let itself go and totally messed up the world in a short space of time. Exact explanations as to why women can't get babies anymore and just how the girl got pregnant are notably left out altogether, since Cuarón is only interested in showing the results of such happenstances. However, the shock of seeing a dying mankind that has deteriorated into utter lawlessness and violence hits the viewer hard, underscored by interesting stylistic choices in editing and photography, including several extremely ambitious long takes, single shots (at least, they appear to be) that last for minutes and are filled with dozens of people and all-round chaos. A very intriguing but distressing film, the subject matter clearly not suitable for everybody.

Starring: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine

Directed by Alfonso Cuarón

USA/UK: Universal Pictures, 2006