Francis Lawrence
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Watch the trailer for ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2’
The Capitol finally comes down in what will be the end to one of the biggest franchises in film history: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2. The last film, Mockingjay – Part 1, broke up the final book in the Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games trilogy to two parts, and the second half is arriving […] More
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Homer’s ‘Odyssey’ getting film adaptation from ‘Hunger Games’ helmers
Hollywood has been all about epics, and there’s no story in all of recorded more epic than the ancient Greek epic poem by Homer, The Odyssey. Centuries later, that story will now be getting fully retold on the big screen. Francis Lawrence and Peter Craig, the director and the writer of the last two films in […] More
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Sound On Sight Podcast, Episode 397: ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1′
This week we discuss the darkest chapter of The Hunger Games saga – a departure in many ways from the action/adventure of the previous two installments. Mockingjay’s themes of rebellion and civil war are inherently cinematic ones, and like the novel, the screenplay conjoins smart political subtext, war and mass-media satire to weave a network of […] More
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‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part I’ is all prologue
The splitting of the conclusions of recent fantasy or sci-fi franchises into two parts (or more – looking at you, Peter Jackson) has been financially successful for Hollywood studios, but less so creatively. Only arguable trendsetter Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I proved a satisfying film in its own right by being so rich in character interplay and having an actual sense of progression. Mockingjay – Part I is heavy on character beats, but they are repetitive ones due to its limited scope through withholding all the big stuff until Part 2. More
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‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 1’, the latest entry in the franchise, releases a new teaser
Many fans of Suzanne Collins’ dystopian novel trilogy The Hunger Games were excited to learn that the series was set to be adapted for the big screen. With the first film garnering commercial acclaim, the sequels were soon greenlit, with The Hunger Games: Catching Fire going on to become the highest domestic grossing film of […] More
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Almost Arthouse #24: ‘Catching Fire’ & ‘This is Martin Bonner’
Our first podcast since September shines a spotlight on perhaps the biggest blockbuster of the year in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, the highly anticipated second chapter in the popular young adult series. Also this week, we’re spreading the word on one of the hidden gems of 2013, Chad Hartigan’s lovely American indie This is Martin Bonner […] More
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‘Catching Fire’ is as smart and idealistic as any blockbuster this year
If there is one theme to take away from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, it is the utter demolition of the concept of the happy ending. None of the surviving characters from The Hunger Games has had the happy ending of the first film persist for them, and none can foresee a happy ending to the events portrayed here. More
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‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ is a strong blockbuster, somewhat hindered by familiar franchise sequel cues
With I Am Legend and Constantine in his filmography, two not entirely successful features but both ones with impressive sequences here and there, director Francis Lawrence would seem an adequate fit for a populist sci-fi or fantasy franchise instalment. More
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‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’, the second in the dystopian series, releases a new trailer
Writer Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games series took the literary world by storm, with many speculating that the success of the novels would soon lead to film adaptations. This speculation came true with the release of The Hunger Games in 2012, the first in the trilogy which saw novelist Collins co-pen the screenplay as well. […] More
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‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’, the sequel to the 2012 hit, releases its first trailer
One of the hit young adult novel series of the past few years has been Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy, focusing on a dystopian future where children are forced to fight each other to the death in a televised tournament. Fans of the series were quite excited when news of a film adaptation of the […] More
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‘Constantine’ and Keanu’s What-If Franchise
Constantine Written by Kevin Brodbin & Frank Cappello Directed by Francis Lawrence USA/Germany, 2005 Hollywood has a long, raucous history with butchering source material for marketability. Take Vertigo Comics’ Hellblazer series as a shining example. Lead anti-hero, occult detective John Constantine, was an absolute dream for cynical comic shoppers: snarky, brooding, and constantly smoking. Hallucinogenic director Tarsem […] More
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Francis Lawrence’s Next Small Project
Francis Lawrence, director of I Am Legend, must have a thing for “end of the world as we know it” movies. And his latest endeavor is no exception. According to Pajiba, Lawrence has elected to direct a movie adaptation based on a young adult graphic novel called In The Small by Michael Hague. The plot […] More