Hunger Games: Catching Fire

The Hunger Games:  Catching Fire

A review

November 24, 2013

Viewed November 21, 2013

****.5 out of *****

Occasionally the tree of Liberty must be watered with the blood of Patriots and Tyrants.” 
― Thomas Jefferson

            The battle rages on.   It is a part of her now whether she accepts it or not.   She carries the scars and the memories, and now she has to endure an even deeper burden.   She is a winner.   She has survived to live and breathe, but not to have any lasting freedom.   She is both victim and victor of something she has started in words and deeds.   She is still so young, and her future is yet to be written.  

            In real time the sequel to 2012’s sensational, The Hunger Games comes eighteen months later an eternity perhaps for audiences anxious to take another trip inside the nightmare world of Suzanne Collins’ dystopian landscape, and encounter one of literature’s most fascinating recent creations, Katniss Everdeen. 

            Ms. Collins books with its first person narration and its vivid and heartbreaking glimpse into a future world gone horribly wrong inhabit a unique place in popular culture, and offer an interesting commentary on our need to see every aspect of one another’s life played out for enjoyment.

            This latest film finds Katniss and Peeta at home and ready to take a victory tour following the first film through the districts of Panem.    Prior to leaving, she is warned that in order to save the life of her friends and family she must make a convincing show of allegiance to the Capital, and prove that she truly loves Peeta, and it is not an act derived for survival in the first Hunger Games.    What they find on tour instead is a country on the verge of a revolution, and Peeta and Katniss are sent back to the arena along with winners of past games to show a country ready to revolt who is really in charge. 

            In many ways this film is a landmark improvement on the first film.    First off the stakes are deeper, and for much of its two and half hour running time the sweep and power of the film is overwhelming in its intensity.    New director, Francis Lawrence who will return for the two part conclusion of the series due the next two years infuses the characterizations and action sequences with an incredible sense of control over the proceedings.     The result is an epic powerhouse of ideas, from its quiet opening where we see Katniss in quiet pose to the stunning end sequence as the camera stares straight down at her eyes wide open and afraid.  

            Jennifer Lawrence who owns this part is this film’s most valuable resource.    One simply cannot take their eyes off this actress as she attacks the role with a fervor and passion that is simply wonderful.     The rest of the returning cast is great with stronger work in this film by Josh Hutcherson as Peeta, Woody Harrelson as Haymitch, and Liam Hemsworth as Gale.    Elizabeth Banks and Lenny Kravitz add depth and layers to their performances that add to the richness of the characters.   

            The returnees are backed up by the excellent character choices and casting for the new roles.   Jeffrey Wright, Amanda Plummer and a terrific Jena Malone as competitors and former victors in the arena make the most of their parts.     The two larger new roles are played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, as the new game maker.  Mr. Hoffman as is generally the case with this fine actor adds a sense of menace and mystery to his multi-leveled performance.    Sam Clafin gives a sharp turn to the role of Finnick.    

            As the middle film in a four film series, Catching Fire is one of the stronger entries in recent years for a public perhaps tired of endless retreads of familiar stories.  One of the appeals of The Hunger Games stories is the freshness of the ideas.     If the film has a flaw it is in the repetition of the flow of the first film.     What is refreshing is the power of its female heroine.     Even as a symbol of the upcoming revolution for the books and films, she is truly a remarkable character and champion of both freedom and individual expression.    In its breathless cliffhanger ending Lawrence captures the rage and frustration of her character’s journey both literal and metaphorically.     Director Lawrence may have represented a change in tone for the franchise, but he knew the Lawrence on everyone’s lips was the twenty-three old who has become a heroine for the ages.     

                                                                        Tommy Key

Rated PG-13(intense sequences of violence and action, frightening images, thematic elements, suggestive situation, language) 

12 Years a Slave

12 Years a Slave

A review

November 11, 2013

Viewed November 11, 2013

***** out of *****

“You can't hold a man down without staying down with him.” 
― Booker T. Washington

            It has been stated for centuries that history is written by the winners.     The lens of history offers so much in retrospect that all the analysis in the world cannot change the uglier parts of a country’s past and its makeup.    The United States for all its glory and its power has a brutal history to comprehend and acknowledge.     As an institution slavery lasted in the United States from pre-Revolutionary War to Civil War, and at its peak time there may have been as many as four million slaves in the United States.   This painful and wrenching period in our history was the first in a chapter of loss and pain that generations have struggled to make sense of with no discernable answer.   In slavery’s bleak pill to swallow, history shows no winners, for the legacy remains and understanding it means telling its story.

            The backdrop of this remarkable film, 12 years a Slave, provides audiences with a stunning and powerful narrative that is such a distinct and unique experience that it transcends the boundaries of film.   Based on the memories of a man named Solomon Northup, the film tales the story of a free man tricked into slavery by two con artists who draw him from his New York home and his family, where he wakes up from a drunken night in chains and being sold.   The film follows Northup given the slave name of Platt, and he eventually finds his new home, and his path directly in the line of a brutal and terrible plantation owner named Epps.

            Films that have dealt with slavery in the past have done so with broad strokes, however this  film is an intimate piece with a flawless screenplay that allows the viewer to experience the thoughts and feelings of Northup even as it exposes the horrors of the slave condition.   As brutal as some of the segments are, and make no mistake this is a film that is painful to watch, but who could look away?   The screenplay by renowned American writer John Ridley is an exploration of the human soul at its weakest and most powerful.   By fleshing out such strong characterization especially of Northup, Epps, and the film’s other central character, Patsey,  Ridley is able to extend beyond the restrictions of memoir and tap directly into the psyche of this astonishing triangle that lies at the center of this film. 

            British director Steve McQueen, in only his third major feature film weaves all of the elements together in a cohesive flow, and his choices seem perfectly pitched to capture the moment.   He focuses largely on the faces of his principals, and captures the look alternating the camera to provide a counter perspective to the internal conflict. 

            The central paradox of Northup’s journey from free and quiet citizen to slave and back to free man again lies in the horror that he was a lucky one.    The end film notes that his story was reflected in many men and women who had similar narratives, but never escaped.    An educated and thoughtful man Northup stands out due to his demeanor.   The viewer is filled with fear for him for exposure, for his safety and life depends on him not standing out.

            There are so many indelible sequences in the film that burn into the memory with an urgency that is profoundly moving.    This is a film that will be discussed and talked about for years to come.

            The performers of this remarkable film are standouts one and all.   As Northup, thirty-six year old actor Chiwetel Ejiofor is amazing.  Mr. Ejiofor, who has been around for a decade now steps into this seemingly impossible role to play and do justice, and triumphs in every frame.   Without his towering presence the film would not soar to the heights it does.   Playing the loathsome Epps, Michael Fassbender brings his trademark intensity and the full measure of his considerable prowess to this character.    Newcomer Lupita Nyong’o is a revelation capturing the agony of Patsey, who is targeted by Epps for unwanted attention.    I would not be surprised to see all of these performers win award after award this following year for these portrayals.   The rest of the cast including Brad Pitt, Alfre Woodard, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Giamatti, and Adepero Oduye provide memorable moments as they drift in and out of the story.  

            There is a tendency with historical films to squander too much of the facts in favor of narrative.    Here is a historical film about a time in our nation’s history that volumes have been written about it, and yet with this film it is brought front and center with stunning detail.    One cannot view the events of this film without gaining a broader understanding of the tragic story as it unfolds.  Northup’s journey is not one of triumph of simply surviving the horror, but a moving testament to the heroes whose names were never known, and filled unmarked graves in history’s sad parable for us all.    

                                                            Tommy Key

Rated R(violence, cruelty, nudity, some sexuality)