It's been a week since we got the first "real" trailer for Mockingjay pt. 2. Everyone had been wanting it for a really long time; I think some people were starting to give up.
I watched it the morning it was released, and I liked it. I was a bit surprised that they put parts from the end (or at least close to it). But then again, there aren't any games to build up to.
So.... Here are my thoughts:
- It opens with Finnick and Annie's wedding in District 13. It's nice, everyone's happy.
- The next scene is with Effie, and Katniss in her Mockingjay uniform. They're not in 13. So, I think this part is much, much later than you might think.
- Here's Boggs, they're in the districts. Here's Plutarch. I was pleasantly surprised to find Egeria (AKA Mira from Homeland) in pt. 2. I assumed Snow would've had her killed off.
- Here's Commander Lyme, from district 2. I think. "Everyone" recognizes this actress from a different show.
- "Tonight, turn your weapons to the Capitol." That is all.
- Then, we see Snow in his final confrontation with Katniss. (trust me, it is.). Again, really close to the end.
- We finish with a line from Finnick, and the logo and mockingjay whistle.
I really liked it. It was really good, and I was surprised by all the elements that are close to the ending. I especially liked the shot of Katniss in the city circle with the people from the districts. It's said in the first book that you have to be invited to the Capitol. Or else go there as a tribute.
So, anyway, really solid. Can't wait for the film.
Sent from my iPad 2
Monday, June 15, 2015
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Mockingjay Pt. 1 Review
[Sorry this took so long. I started writing this after I saw MJ for the first time.]
I got out of Mockingjay, and I really enjoyed it. It was very close to the book, and they still kept with different perspectives in addition to Katniss', which I have really enjoyed throughout the whole series.
Mockingjay is really, stylistically speaking, a continuation of Catching Fire. You might think it's just part 1 of 2 of Mockingjay, but it has some similarities with Catching Fire. You get the sense that Katniss is isolated, her against the world, struggling with PTSD.
The sets and special effects are wonderful; to note, the ruins of District 12. New characters are great. Jennifer is awesome. Love the dynamic between Katniss and Prim. Elizabeth is great. Julianne adds a complexity to Coin. Part of me loved her, and yet kind of hated her at the same time, because, well, I know how part 2 goes. Plutarch got kind of annoying from all the propos. He's in full gamemaker mode here.
[I totally missed that the actress who plays Mira on Homeland played Snow's speechwriter, until I took Mom to see it, and she pointed it out.]
The music.... I loved the music. It's basically taken from Catching Fire (someone else mentioned Hunger Games, too), so there's continuity in that respect. The Hanging Tree was really good, I liked it. The way the setting had been described in interviews didn't really make sense, but when you see it in context, it does. It's pretty and haunting. Can't wait to get the score.
I wish Katniss had taken the time to explain the background of "The Hanging Tree," but that probably would have taken too much screen time, and anyway, you get the gist of it with the scenes of the other districts rioting.
One point I got stuck on was Finnick's story- really, the timing. I wondered at first why they put it during the rescue. Then I figured it out. It was to distract everyone.
Ending. .. pretty much the way everyone thought it would end.
I loved the little tidbit at the end.
Overall feeling stark, dark, and grand. I can't wait for part 2.
Shared from Google Keep
The music.... I loved the music. It's basically taken from Catching Fire (someone else mentioned Hunger Games, too), so there's continuity in that respect. The Hanging Tree was really good, I liked it. The way the setting had been described in interviews didn't really make sense, but when you see it in context, it does. It's pretty and haunting. Can't wait to get the score.
I wish Katniss had taken the time to explain the background of "The Hanging Tree," but that probably would have taken too much screen time, and anyway, you get the gist of it with the scenes of the other districts rioting.
One point I got stuck on was Finnick's story- really, the timing. I wondered at first why they put it during the rescue. Then I figured it out. It was to distract everyone.
Ending. .. pretty much the way everyone thought it would end.
I loved the little tidbit at the end.
Overall feeling stark, dark, and grand. I can't wait for part 2.
Shared from Google Keep
Friday, November 21, 2014
Into That Good Night: Interstellar
I went to go see Interstellar on Thursday. It was a good movie. It's a futuristic space film, where astronauts go very far into space to find humanity a new planet. I was afraid it would be a bit out of my league, but it was pretty easy to understand, except for one scene near the end. Trust me, I was racking my brain trying to come up with some reasonable explanation. And, I think I did. Read on....
Matthew McCaughnahey, as Cooper, is a former engineer who has now been forced to farm for a living. In the future, there have been serious droughts and dust storms worldwide, and certain crops have failed. Wheat failed a while ago, there's one crop that's nearly gone, and corn will soon follow.
He and his daughter, Murph, stumble- literally- upon a very big and secret plan to hunt for worlds that might be good for humanity.
First, I am so, so, so sorry that I missed the IMAX boat on this one. The special effects, especially the galaxy sequences are awesome. Orchestration was a bit different from a standard film, it was mainly a pipe organ, so I could understand why people were complaining about the sound being too loud and unbalanced.
I loved the father-daughter dynamic between Matthew and Mackensie. She was so good. I had flashbacks to the locket scene before the battle between Bella and her daughter Renesmee in Breaking Dawn 2; especially when Cooper is saying goodbye to Murph.
I really loved the robot, believe it or not. He was funny, and the design was great. He was truly three-dimensional.
I was a bit worried that the plot would lean a little too much in the direction of "2001: A Space Odyssey", and it did towards the end, but it wasn't too bad. I also appreciated, at the beginning, the use of dust bowl testimonials. You aren't sure at first if it's a cool parallel with history... or something else. If you get my drift.
Matt Damon does have a small but important part in the film that wasn't widely publicized. When you watch the film, you realize why they couldn't say very much. He does have a sort of HAL-like streak. That's all I'll say about that.
Going back to the sound issue.... I don't know if it was the actors just getting emotional, but there were a couple of instances where the dialogue got muffled, Anne Hathaway and Matthew, to note.
The astronauts do visit a couple of planets. Not really sure who thought they would be good planets in the first place. The second planet at least has land. Would days with longer hours really mean a shorter life span?
About the issue of time...one could think of time as both physical and abstract. At one point, near the end, you have to believe that time is physical. And, if something is physical, it can be manipulated. I'll leave it at that.
My title, in part, reference a poem recited by Michael Caine: "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night." It seems to talk about regret. Perhaps, on another level, it implores the reader to change what you regret, and not going gently.
That is what this film is about... trying to fight the hardest to change what seems impossible.
Matthew McCaughnahey, as Cooper, is a former engineer who has now been forced to farm for a living. In the future, there have been serious droughts and dust storms worldwide, and certain crops have failed. Wheat failed a while ago, there's one crop that's nearly gone, and corn will soon follow.
He and his daughter, Murph, stumble- literally- upon a very big and secret plan to hunt for worlds that might be good for humanity.
First, I am so, so, so sorry that I missed the IMAX boat on this one. The special effects, especially the galaxy sequences are awesome. Orchestration was a bit different from a standard film, it was mainly a pipe organ, so I could understand why people were complaining about the sound being too loud and unbalanced.
I loved the father-daughter dynamic between Matthew and Mackensie. She was so good. I had flashbacks to the locket scene before the battle between Bella and her daughter Renesmee in Breaking Dawn 2; especially when Cooper is saying goodbye to Murph.
I really loved the robot, believe it or not. He was funny, and the design was great. He was truly three-dimensional.
I was a bit worried that the plot would lean a little too much in the direction of "2001: A Space Odyssey", and it did towards the end, but it wasn't too bad. I also appreciated, at the beginning, the use of dust bowl testimonials. You aren't sure at first if it's a cool parallel with history... or something else. If you get my drift.
Matt Damon does have a small but important part in the film that wasn't widely publicized. When you watch the film, you realize why they couldn't say very much. He does have a sort of HAL-like streak. That's all I'll say about that.
Going back to the sound issue.... I don't know if it was the actors just getting emotional, but there were a couple of instances where the dialogue got muffled, Anne Hathaway and Matthew, to note.
The astronauts do visit a couple of planets. Not really sure who thought they would be good planets in the first place. The second planet at least has land. Would days with longer hours really mean a shorter life span?
About the issue of time...one could think of time as both physical and abstract. At one point, near the end, you have to believe that time is physical. And, if something is physical, it can be manipulated. I'll leave it at that.
My title, in part, reference a poem recited by Michael Caine: "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night." It seems to talk about regret. Perhaps, on another level, it implores the reader to change what you regret, and not going gently.
That is what this film is about... trying to fight the hardest to change what seems impossible.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Mockingjay Roundup, etc.
Mockingjay Roundup, etc.
I'm honestly not trying to turn this blog into a Mockingjay fan blog... really. I just haven't had that much to write about. I need ideas, badly.
That being said, I've bought my share of Doritos bags. Lionsgate has been running a contest. People enter codes online to unlock each of the 12 districts, and eventually, district 13. Each district represents a certain prize pack, and 13 Is a trip to The premiere.
The cool news is that I actually won codes through that contest to use for the movie tickets. It was a long three- week period of waiting, but they finally arrived in my email a couple of days ago.
About the soundtrack. .. I'm not really enthusiastic about it at all. I've liked a bunch of songs from the previous two films, but not this one. I do like Lorde's song "Yellow Flicker Beat," but that's it.
One fan site got the track listing for the score, and I'm interested in that. But the titles- save one- sound kind of dull in general. I would have been interested in the job, really, haha. One job I'd love is to give titles to DVD chapter menus, but that position seems to have fallen permanently by the wayside.
One movie I'm really excited about seeing is Interstellar. I'm planning to see it the night before Mockingjay.
I tried reading Gone Girl, but it's just too heavy for me. I might still try to finish it.
"There's that word again: "heavy." Why are things so heavy in the future? Is there a problem with the Earth's gravitational pull?
" (Doc Brown, "Back to the Future")
Shared from Google Keep
Saturday, September 27, 2014
That Rocks!
I was able to go to the Houston Museum of Natural Science a few weeks ago, where they are having a minerals and gemstones exhibit. If you've seen my Pinterest boards, you'll know I have a thing for gemstones and rocks. It was really cool; I had a good time.
Along with all of the minerals, there was a rather lavish jewelry collection.
Along with all of the minerals, there was a rather lavish jewelry collection.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Coming to a Theme Park Near You
Book equals theme park?
Your favorite book.... coming to a theme park near you! Ok, for one franchise this has already come true: Harry Potter, in Orlando. Well, recently, there's been talk of Lionsgate (the studio who does The Hunger Games) wanting to open a Hunger Games theme park.
Needless to say, this has gone over like a lead balloon with the fandom.
What would there be in this theme park, anyway? Archery? Survival skills? Baking?
Yes, these are great, but all of these separate things don't necessarily come together great.
This is not just thinking outside the box, this is way over the box. The bottom line is, it just doesn't gel with the series' themes.
This is not just thinking outside the box, this is way over the box. The bottom line is, it just doesn't gel with the series' themes.
Some people are suggesting, and I'm one of them, to just do a museum with costumes and props from the films.
No one mentioned doing a theme park for Twilight. Well, there sort of is, already. It's called the Pacific Northwest.
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
E-Books: Dystopian Kids Club
Yes, I'm here. Abject apologies. I meant to do this last week.
I subscribe to a couple of free and reduced price e-book newsletters. A lot of times the books are available for more than one program, but I usually order them through the Kindle app. Just to save space.
So, I've really liked two of the recent books I've read. "Monument 14" is a cross between "Lord of the Flies", and "The Mist" (with no mutant insects). I really liked it. It's about a bunch of kids who get stuck inside a store when a disaster happens. My only complaint is that it's a trilogy. I have nothing against trilogies in general, it's just that I wanted a resolution! I'd like to read the others.
The second book I'm reading is "Banded." It's a lot like "Divergent," but not quite as sinister. At least not yet. I'm still reading it. Like I said, it's a lot like Divergent, but it's good so far. There's also a concept in the story that could be interpreted as being similar to the film "In Time." The story is about children who must leave their families at 16 and live in different groups they are screened for.
Sent from my iPad 2
I subscribe to a couple of free and reduced price e-book newsletters. A lot of times the books are available for more than one program, but I usually order them through the Kindle app. Just to save space.
So, I've really liked two of the recent books I've read. "Monument 14" is a cross between "Lord of the Flies", and "The Mist" (with no mutant insects). I really liked it. It's about a bunch of kids who get stuck inside a store when a disaster happens. My only complaint is that it's a trilogy. I have nothing against trilogies in general, it's just that I wanted a resolution! I'd like to read the others.
The second book I'm reading is "Banded." It's a lot like "Divergent," but not quite as sinister. At least not yet. I'm still reading it. Like I said, it's a lot like Divergent, but it's good so far. There's also a concept in the story that could be interpreted as being similar to the film "In Time." The story is about children who must leave their families at 16 and live in different groups they are screened for.
Sent from my iPad 2
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