Podcast Episode 40: MOCKINGJAY PART 1 Kicks Off The Revolution

I couldn't help but walk out of Mockingjay: Part 1 feeling a bit disappointed.

The first Hunger Games movie left a real bad taste in my mouth, but Catching Fire actually kind of won me over with its liberal dose of sassy Jenna Malone and its promise of legit rebellion and the outright warfare to come.  That's the shit I was all excited to see in the first half of the final installment of this franchise.  Sadly I was let down on both fronts, with Malone sidelined off screen for all but five seconds of the movie and the rebellion whittled down to two and a half skirmishes spread out over two hours of screen time.  Those skirmishes are pretty cool in their own right, but I would have gladly taken more scenes of rebellion in the districts over Katniss staring pensively out over a brook.

There's plenty to like here, including Katniss's inability to perform in a propaganda video (I refuse to acknowledge this franchise's inane fixation with Suessian lingo), every word out of Elizabeth Banks' mouth, a well staged rescue operation, a horrific field of corpses and one last chance to enjoy Philip Seymour Hoffman.  But the biggest problem with Mockingjay: Part 1 is that it simply doesn't feel like a complete story.  We're not quite in Deathly Hallows* territory here, but everything that happens in this movie is merely the prologue to whatever's coming in Part 2.  It's enjoyable, but not exactly satisfying in its own right.  It reminds me of Episode 7 from any season of Game Of Thrones, one of those episodes that's more about moving the chess pieces into place so they can strike the killing blow later on down the road.

Bart and I talk to avowed Hunger Games fanatic Jamie about all this as well as her own wild-eyed theory that Peeta is secretly the boring version of Johanna. (I'm paraphrasing here.)  We also talk about the recent Peanuts trailer, the upcoming Star Wars trailer and casting rumors for both Jean Grey and Jessica Jones.

Next Week: Foxcatcher and/or Horrible Bosses 2


*Or, as I call it, Harry Potter And The Campsite Of Sadness

The New MOCKINGJAY PART 1 Trailer Looks Like A Movie I Might Finally Enjoy

I've always suspected that the best parts of the Hunger Games story would be found in the last installments and from the look of this trailer those suspicions seem to be correct.  We've finally moved past the pretense of the Games, which have only been marginally successful on screen, and now we're digging into an all out rebellion against the Empire.  Err, the Capitol

I feel like most people were pretty unhappy about the way things wrapped up when Mockingjay came out, but those are just the half-remembered whispers I overheard while I was busy not reading any of the books.  This certainly looks like the most cinematic of Katniss's adventures so far and I'd be lying if I said the idea of an authoritarian dictatorship and a plucky rebellion each pitting their own puppet warriors against each other didn't sound like fun.  I could go without the love triangle stuff, but what are you gonna do?  If nothing else, it's a chance to see a new Phillip Seymour Hoffman performance on the big screen and we don't have many more of those left to enjoy.

I expect to come home and find my wife watching this trailer on an infinite loop from now until November.

Here Is Your First MOCKINGJAY Teaser

Lots of people (particularly my wife) have some VERY strong feelings about The Hunger Games.  I am not one of those people.  The first film is fairly dull and seems to focus on all the least interesting stuff, and while Catching Fire was a significant improvement, I still find myself struggling to muster up any genuine excitement for this franchise.  I'll grant you that Katniss Everdeen is a total badass and Jennifer Lawrence does great work in the role.  Plus I'll support most anything that introduces the idea of creepy dystopian sci-fi to new audiences.  But at the end of the day it's hard to shake the feeling that it's really the love triangle melodrama that's driving a lot of the interest here, relegating the weird future stuff as mere window dressing.  It's like trying to argue that Twilight converted teenage girls into fans of non-sparkly vampire movies.

But whatever.  I'm not trying to slag Hunger Games or its fans.  (And it's certainly a huge step up from Twilight.)  I think it's just fine and I expect the franchise will only get better as it comes to a close.  I'll certainly be seeing Mockingjay Part 1 when it hits theaters this fall and I'll probably enjoy it, at which point I will promptly forget all about this franchise until Part 2 comes out a year later.

Anyway, here's a creepy teaser trailer for all you folks who are waiting for this film with baited breath.  You can even watch it in 4K, if you are appropriately equipped!

I say the more devious Donald Sutherland we get, the better.  But that's a good rule for life in general.