"THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE" (2013) Review

"THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE" (2013) Review

Despite my enjoyment of the 2012 movie, "THE HUNGER GAMES", I must admit that I had regarded its sequel, "THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE" with a wary eye. One, the movie franchise had replaced Gary Ross with a new one, Francis Lawrence. And two, a relative who had read all three of Suzanne Collins' novels expressed a less-than-impressed opinion of the second installment, which this movie is based upon. But enamored of the first film, I decided to give this second one a chance. 

"CATCHING FIRE" picked up not long after the ending of the first installment. The winners of the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, have returned to their homes in the impoverished District 12. But due to their winnings, both now reside in upscale neighborhoods. Before they are scheduled to embark upon their victory tour of Panem, Katniss receives a visit from the tyrannical President Snow, who reveals that her actions in the recent Games have inspired rebellions across the districts. He orders her to use the upcoming tour to convince everyone her actions were out of genuine love for Peeta, not defiance against the Capitol. The victory tour goes off well, aside from an emotionally difficult and violent visit to District 11, the home of the deceased tributes, 12 year-old Rue (whom Katniss had befriended) and Thesh (who had saved Katniss). 

Despite the tour and the installment of violent Peacekeepers in District 12 to crack down on any signs of rebellion, President Snow remains fearful of Katniss being used as a symbol of any possible upheavals. The new Head Gamekeeper, Plutarch Heavensbee, proposes a special Hunger Games called the Third Quarter Quell (the 75th Hunger Games), in which the tributes will be selected from previous victors. He believes the Games would either ruin Katniss' reputation, or kill her. As the only female victor from District 12, Katniss is naturally selected. However, her mentor Haymitch Abernathy is chosen as the male tribute. Peeta immediately volunteers to take his place. Haymitch informs the pair that most of the tributes are angry over being forced to participate again and suggests they make alliances. Although Katniss is against the idea, she and Peeta adhere to Haymitch's advice and find themselves in competition that ends with surprising results.

Despite becoming a fan of "THE HUNGER GAMES", I continued to resist watching Suzanne Collins' novels. Perhaps one day I will read them. But due to my unfamiliarity with the plots, the end of "CATCHING FIRE" pretty much took me by surprise. And this is a good thing. The movie's first third hinted of a growing rebellion against President Snow's rule over Panem in scenes that included Katniss and Peeta's harrowing visit to District 11, the beating of Gale Hawthorne (Katniss' closest friend and possible lover) at the hands of the Peacekeepers, and Snow's growing paranoia over Katniss. Even the scenes featuring Katniss' participation in the 75th Hunger Games continued hint the growing rebellion against Snow's administration and the Capitol through the characters like Haymitch, Katniss' friend and costume designer Cinna, and those serving as tributes. Characters like Beetee Lasnier and Johanna Mason expressed their dismay or anger at being forced to participate in another Hunger Game during their pre-Game interviews with Caesar Flickerman. Even Peeta tried to manipulate Snow into stopping the Game with false hint that Katniss might be pregnant. And during the Game, I found it interesting that Katniss and Peeta ended up forming an alliance with Lasnier and his District 3 counterpart Wiress, Johanna, and the two tributes from District 4, Finnick Odair and Mags - the only tributes to express any hostility toward the Games and President Snow. I had figured that all of them would eventually openly defy Snow by getting out of the Games. But thanks to some very good writing from Suzanne Collins, along with screenwriters Simon Beaufoy and Michael deBruyn; the circumstances behind the beginning of the rebellion really took me by surprise.

Another aspect of "CATCHING FIRE" that took me by surprise, turned out to be its cinematography. With the change of director, the franchise acquired a new cinematographer, Jo Willems. And I liked the way Willems expanded the look of Panem in the film. I suppose one could thank the movie's plot, which allowed viewers a look at the exclusive neighborhood of District 12, into which Katniss and Peeta moved following their victory at the 74th Games; the other country's districts, and the tropical environment that served as the 75th Games' new setting. But more importantly, Willems expanded the visual style of the Capitol . . . especially in a scene that featured Katniss and Peeta's arrival. This expanded visual really took me by surprise. The movie also acquired a new costume designer, Trish Summerville. I have to be honest. I found her costume designs similar to the ones created by Judianna Makovsky. I really do not see the differences . . . especially for those costumes worn by the cast for the Capitol sequences. Mind you, they are just as imaginative and beautiful as the ones featured in the first film. I simply cannot see the differences. There was one outfit - worn by Elizabeth Banks - that I found very original:



I understand that the song "Atlas", written and performed by the group Coldplay have earned both Golden Globe and Grammy nominations. Congratulations to the band. However, I do not remember the song. Sorry. I simply did not find it memorable. I was also a little disappointed in how Lawrence (the director) seemed to rush the first third of the movie - namely the sequence featuring Katniss and Peeta's victory tour and District 12's problems with the so-called Peacekeepers that culminated in Gale's beating. It seemed as if he was in a hurry for the movie to focus on the 75th "Quarter Quell" Hunger Games. And if I may be blunt, I was also not that impressed by Alan Edward Bell's editing. It struck me as a little choppy - especially in the movie's first half.

The performances by the cast struck me as first rate. Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson did superb jobs in continuing the development of their characters, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mallark. I noticed in this film that Lawrence conveyed a great deal of realism in Katniss' growing difficulty in containing her emotions regarding those she cared about. This was especially apparent in the scene following Gale's public whipping, Peeta's near death experience during the first day of the Games and the visit to District 11. Someone once described Peeta as a saint. I never could view him in this manner. He strikes me as a rather manipulative individual, who can also be a very good liar. What is amazing about Hutcherson's performance is that he perfectly balanced Peeta's manipulative skills with his near all consuming love for Katniss and willingness to do anything for her. 

Liam Hemsworth got a chance to develop his portrayal of Katniss' childhood best friend, Gale Hawthorne. Hemsworth, like Hutcherson, did an excellent job in balancing the different layers of Gale's personality - namely his love for Katniss and his ever-growing obsession with rebellion against President Snow and the Capitol. Woody Harrelson continued to knock it out of the ballpark as Katniss and Peeta's alcoholic mentor, Haymitch Abernathy. I think this is the first time moviegoers got a real look at Haymitch's hostility toward President Snow, especially in the scene which featured the announcement of past winners participating in the Quarter Quell. Harrelson portrayed that small moment with such intense anger. Donald Sutherland continued his brilliant portrayal of the brutal, yet manipulative politician, President Coriolanus Snow. 

Sutherland perfectly captured Snow's quiet machinations that could rival Palpatine from the STAR WARS franchise. Yet, the actor also did a subtle job in conveying Snow's growing paranoia over Katniss' popularity and growing role as a symbol of rebellion. I had greatly enjoyed Elizabeth Banks' performance as Effie Trinket in the first movie. I loved her performance in this film, as the actress allowed filmgoers a deeper look into the chaperone's persona, beyond her usual shallowness. I am also happy that Lenny Kravitz reprised the role of Cinna, Katniss and Peeta's stylist for the Games. As usual, the actor/musician gave a warm and beautiful performance as Katniss' emotional solace before the Games. One particular scene in which Cinna endured a brutal beating over a dress he had created for Katniss proved to be a very painful one to watch, thanks to Kravitz and Lawrence's performances, along with the other Lawrence's direction. Stanley Tucci was marvelous as ever in his continuing portrayal of Caesar Flickerman, the Games' announcer and commentator. Toby Jones reprised his role as Flickerman's fellow commentator, Claudius Templesmith. But his role had been reduced considerably.

The movie also featured some newcomers to the franchise. Philip Seymour Hoffman gave a sly and subtle performance as the Games' new Head Gamemaker, who schemes with President Snow to destroy Katniss' reputation and possibly, her life. Sam Claflin continued to surprise me at how charismatic he could be, in his engaging portrayal of Finnick Odair, one of the tributes from District 4, during the 75th Games. Jena Malone was a hoot as the outspoken and aggressive female tribute from District 7, Johanna Mason. The strip scene inside the elevator is one that I remember for years to come. I was surprised to see Jeffrey Wright appear in this film. He gave a subtle, yet intelligent performance as the male tribute for District 3, Beetee Latier. Wright also clicked very well with Amanda Plummer, whose performance as Latier's fellow District 3 tribute Wiress, struck me as deliciously off-center. Lynn Cohen nearly stole the show as Finnick's fellow tribute from District 4, Mags. I thought she did a pretty good job, although I am at a little loss over the fanfare regarding her performance.

Many seemed to regard "CATCHING FIRE" as superior to the original 2012. I cannot agree with this opinion. I am not saying that "CATCHING FIRE" is a disappointment or inferior to "THE HUNGER GAMES". But I certainly do not regard it as better. I would say that it is just as good. And considering my very high opinion of the first film, one could assume that my opinion of this second film is equally positive, thanks to an excellent screenplay written by Simon Beaufoy and Michael deBruyn, first rate direction from Francis Lawrence, and a superb cast led by Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson.

"MAD MEN" Season Two (2008) Photo Gallery

Below are images from Season Two of AMC's "MAD MEN". Created by Matthew Weiner, the series starred Jon Hamm: 



"MAD MEN" SEASON TWO (2008) Photo Gallery

Toad-in-the-Hole

Below is an article about a traditional English that may (or may not) have been created in the mid 18th century called Toad-in-the-Hole. 



TOAD-IN-THE-HOLE

Created as a cheap comfort dish, Toad-in-the-Hole originated Alnmouth in Northumberland, England. Toad-in-the-Hole is basically a dish that consists of sausages in Yorkshire Pudding batter. Ironically, the first recipe for the dish consisted of pigeon, not sausages. And that recipe was found in Hannah Glasse's 1747 cookbook called "The Art of Cookery made Plain and Easy". She called the dish "Pigeon-in-the-Hole".

How did the dish acquired his name? Well . . . here is an idea. Alnmouth has a golf course which can at certain times of the year be overrun with Natterjack toads. It was at just such a time, that a golf tournament was being played and the leader made his putt, only to have the ball ejected by a toad that had been quietly asleep in the bottom of the cup. Who created the dish? Well . . . on hearing of the players misfortune, achef at the town's hotel where the players were staying devised the dish, thinking it would resemble a toad rising from the eighteenth, and served it that night. Is this really the truth?

The dish with sausages may have first appeared in 1769. Toad-in-the-Hole became very popular with members of the Royal Philosophers. They enjoyed the dish at least once or twice a year at the Mitre Tavern, the dining club’s chosen dining venue. Toad-in-the-Hole was served alongside such delicacies as venison, fresh salmon, turbot and asparagus.

Below is a recipe for "Toad-in-the-Hole" from the Simplyrecipies.com website:


Toad-in-the-Hole

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1 scant teaspoon Kosher salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb of bangers (an English sausage made with pork and breadcrumbs), or good quality pork or beef sausage links (in casings)


Preparation

Whisk together the flour with the salt and a pinch of pepper in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour. Pour in the eggs, milk, and melted butter into the well and whisk into the flour until smooth. Cover and let stand 30 minutes.

Coat the bottom and sides of an 8x12 or 9x9 casserole dish with vegetable oil (we use high smoke point grapeseed or canola oil). Place a rack in the bottom third of the oven. Put the empty dish on the rack. Preheat the oven with the dish in it to 425°F.

While the oven is coming to temperature, heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a skillet on medium high. Add the sausages and brown them on at least a couple sides.

When the sausages have browned, and the dish in the oven hot, pull the oven rack out a bit, put the sausages in the casserole dish, and pour the batter over the sausages. Cook for about 20-30 minutes or until the batter is risen and golden.

Serve at once.

"ANGELS AND INSECTS" (1995) Review

"ANGELS AND INSECTS" (1995) Review

I never thought I would come around to writing this review. I have seen the 1995 movie, "ANGELS AND INSECTS" a good number of times during the past five years. Yet, I never got around to posting a review of this movie, until recently. Why? I have not the foggiest idea. Nor do I have any idea why I had finally decided to write that review. 

Based upon A.S. Byatt's 1992 novella called "Morpho Eugenia", "ANGELS AND INSECTS" tells the story of a poor naturalist named William Adamson, who returns home to Victorian England after having spent years studying the natural wildlife - especially insects - in the Amazon Basin. Despite losing all of his possession during a shipwreck, he manages to befriend a baronet named Sir Harald Alabaster, who is also an amateur insect collector and botanist. The latter hires William to catalog his specimen collection and assist his younger children's governess the natural sciences.

William eventually falls for Sir Harald's oldest daughter, Eugenia, who is mourning the suicide of her fiance. Both of them eventually become emotionally involved and decide to marry. Much to William's surprise, both Sir Harald and Lady Alabaster seems encouraging of the match. The only member of the Alabaster family who is against their upcoming wedding is Sir Harald's eldest child, the arrogant Edgar. Not only is the latter close to Eugenia, he believes that William is unworthy of his sister's hand, due to having a working-class background. The marriage between William and Eugenia seemed to be a happily lustful one that produces five children (among them two sets of twins). But Eugenia's hot and cold control over their sex life, a constantly hostile Edgar, William's growing friendship to Lady Alabaster's companion Matilda "Matty" Crompton, and William's own disenchantment over his role as Sir Harald's official assistant brings their marriage to a head after several years of marriage.

The film adaptation of Byatt's novella seemed to be the brainchild of Philip and Belinda Haas. Both worked on the film's screenplay, while Philip also served as the film's director and Belinda served as both co-producer (there are three others) and film editor. From my perusal of many period drama blogs, I get the feeling that "ANGELS AND INSECTS" is not very popular with many of the genre's fans. On the other hand, many literary and film critics seemed to have a very high regard for it. Despite my love for the usual romantic costume drama, I must admit that my opinions of the 1995 film falls with the latter group. It is simply too well made and too fascinating for me to overlook. 

There were times I could not tell whether "ANGELS AND INSECTS" is some look at the age of Victorian science exploration, the close study of an upper-class 19th century family, or a lurid tale morality. Now that I realize it, the movie is probably an amalgamation of them all, wrapped around this view on Darwinism and breeding - in regard to both the insect world and humans. The topic of breeding seemed to seep into the screenplay in many scenes. Some of them come to mind - Sir Harald and Edgar's debate on the breeding of horses and other animals, William and Eugenia's second encounter with moths in the manor's conservatory, Sir Harald's despairing rant on his declining usefulness within his own household, the reason behind Edgar's hostility toward William, and the visual comparisons between the bees and the inhabitants of the Alabaster estate, with Lady Alabaster serving as some metaphor for an aging Queen bee on her last legs. The metaphor of the Queen bee is extended further into Eugenia. Not only does she assume her mother's role as mistress of the house following the latter's death; but like Lady Alabaster before her, gives birth to a growing number of blond-haired children. If a person has never seen "ANGELS AND INSECTS" before, he or she could follow both the script and cinematographer Bernard Zitzerman's shots carefully to detect the clues that hint the cloistered degeneracy that seemed to unconsciously permeate the Alabaster household.

I cannot deny that "ANGELS AND INSECTS" is a gorgeous film to behold. Philip and Belinda Haas, along with the film's other producers did an excellent job in creating a visually stunning film with a bold and colorful look. Cinematographer Bernard Zitzermann, along with production designer Jennifer Kernke and Alison Riva's art direction provided great contributions to the film's visual style. But in my opinion, Paul Brown's Academy Award nominated costume designs not only conveyed the film's colorful visual style more than anything else, but also properly reflected the fashion styles of the early 1860s for women - including the growing penchant for deep, solid colors - as shown below:

 

Adding to the movie's rich atmosphere was Alexander Balanescu's memorable score. I thought the composer did an excellent job of reflecting both the movie's elegant setting and its passionate, yet lurid story.

As much as I enjoyed and admired "ANGELS AND INSECTS", I believe it had its flaws. I understand why Philip Haas had opened the movie with shots of William Adamson socializing with inhabitants of the Amazonian jungle, juxtaposing with the Alabaster ball given in his honor. Is it just me or did Haas use white - probably British - actors to portray Amazonian natives? I hope I am wrong, but I fear otherwise. I also feel that the movie was marred by a slow pacing that nearly crawled to a halt. I cannot help but wonder if Haas felt insecure by the project he and his wife had embarked upon, considering that "ANGELS AND INSECTS" was his second motion picture after many years as a documentarian. Or perhaps he got caught up in his own roots as a documentarian, due to his heavy emphasis on the natural world being studied by William, Matty and the younger Alabaster children. In a way, I have to thank Balanescu's score for keeping me awake during those scenes that seemed to drag.

I cannot deny that the movie featured some top-notch and subtle performances. Mark Rylance, who has a sterling reputation as a stage actor, gave such a quiet and superb performance that I hope his reputation has extended to film. Kristin Scott-Thomas was equally superb as the Matty Crompton, Lady Alabaster's very observant companion, who shared William's interests in natural sciences. I have no idea what reputation Patsy Kensit has as an actress, but I certainly believe she gave an excellent performance as William's beautiful and aristocratic wife, Eugenia Alabaster, whose hot and cold attitude toward her husband kept him puzzled. Jeremy Kemp gave one of his more complex andentertaining performances as William's father-in-law, the amateur scientist Sir Harald Alabaster. Douglas Henshall had a difficult job in portraying the bullying Edgar Alabaster, who seemed to view William as both beneath contempt and something of a threat to his views of the world. The movie also featured solid performances from the likes of Anna Massey, Saskia Wickham, Chris Larkin, Clare Redman and Annette Badlands.

Some fans of period drama might be taken aback by the graphic sexuality featured in the film, along with the story's lurid topic. And director Philip Haas' pacing might be a bit hard to accept. But I feel that enduring all of this might be worth the trouble. Philip and Belinda Haas, along with the crew and a cast led by Mark Rylance, Kristin Scott-Thomas and Patsy Kensit did an excellent in re-creating A.S. Byatt's tale on the screen, and creating a first-rate movie in the end.