The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 Written by Danny Strong and Jon Kilik Directed by Francis Lawrence U.S.A., 2015 The anticipation that comes with the release of the final installment of a massively popular and beloved film franchise is always palpable. The Return of the King, Revenge of the Sith (Star Wars fans, at the …
With the recent cinematic release of the latest installment of The Hunger Games series, Mockingjay- Part 1, it seems to be the perfect time to look into some of the more predominant themes and allegorical references in this wildly popular franchise. Being that these films have been adapted from Suzanne Collin’s trilogy of bestselling …
This is Part 1 of a 4 part series leading up to the release of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part II, each looking at an individual film in the series and it’s legacy. The Hunger Games series is special. It does things differently, operates on a different spectrum than most blockbusters. Some of the …
True Detective and The Hunger Games are the same thing. This claim may seem bold, and of course it is in large part reductive and untrue. When looking at the way the two stories function, however, it becomes easier to see the common ground that exists between them. True Detective is essentially an episodic movie. …
2014 was a good year for women in film. Recently, it was revealed that the top ten most searched stars on IMDB this year were all women. This on its own might not mean much, given the off-screen personas of today’s women and the fascination with their personal lives. Coupled with a careful examination of …
Apart from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 1 being one of the biggest films to be released in the holiday season, it will be viewers’ last chance to see Philip Seymour Hoffman in action. After the awful and unimagined death of the renowned actor, rumors started to fly that Lionsgate may use digital resources to complete his …
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.
Divergent Written by Evan Daugherty and Vanessa Taylor Directed by Neil Burger USA, 2014 The price of movie stardom in the 21st century for young women involves headlining a big-budget young-adult-novel adaptation; so now, it’s time for Shailene Woodley to prove her mettle against peers like Kristen Stewart and Jennifer Lawrence. With her past work …
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.
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.
I hate being wrong. Really hate it. The only thing I hate more than being wrong is publicly admitting I’m wrong. And, man, when it comes to how 2012 played out at the movies matched up against what I’d predicted in my end-of-2011 box office wrap-up, I couldn’t have been more wrong. “Want a prediction …
For better or worse, films don’t exist in a vacuum. If literature derives from itself, and, according to Marshall McLuhan, the content in any new medium is always the same as in the old, then films don’t exactly have a wealth of opportunities to be original. You can always compare a film to one that …
25: The Dark Knight Rises Directed by Christopher Nolan Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan 2012, USA The Dark Knight Rises feels as if it was made up of two equal halves, with the most critical moment of the film breaking the movie in half, almost literally. While the second half may have …
2012 wasn’t a bad year for movies. It was actually a great year. The problem is, the movies we were most anticipating, specifically the Hollywood blockbusters like Prometheus and The Hobbit, didn’t live up to our expectations. With that said I still managed to make a list of 50 films I loved. Maybe I just …
Django Unchained Traditionally, Quentin Tarantino’s films recycle older pop tunes and soundtrack snippets, helping to build up his image as a sort of “cultural DJ” as opposed to a traditonal filmmaker. Django Unchained might signal a change in approach Favoring a style-hopping mixtape feel that careens from country to gangsta rap, the Django soundtrack also …
I don’t’ share the popular opinion that 2012 has been a terrible year in film. It hasn’t been as strong as previous years but 2012 gave us such gems as Holy Motors, The Master, Berberian Sound Studio, Tabu, Skyfall and Moonrise Kingdom, to name a few. As with every year, I thought it appropriate to …
Silver Linings Playbook Directed by David O. Russell Written by David O. Russell USA, 2012 Sometimes, it’s OK if you know the destination as long as the journey is plenty of fun. That’s the basic underlying principle of Silver Linings Playbook, a massively enjoyable crowd-pleaser that presents an off-kilter brand of romantic comedy, where most …
Red Dawn Directed by Dan Bradley Written by Carl Ellsworth and Jeremy Passmore USA, 2012 It may be fitting for a movie about American teenagers rising up against an evil foreign military to be juvenile, but that doesn’t make Red Dawn any more palatable. This remake of the 1984 film best known now as the …
Fantastic Fest is over but that doesn’t mean we should stop promoting the incredible line-up of movies programmed. It has become a Sound on Sight tradition that once the event has finished, we post a festival wrap-up highlighting our favourite films. Here are the top three picks from four of our writers. You can check …
The process that studios go through to pick a director for a project is often one that’s hidden from public view, with nothing more than rumours of potential hires and people who make a play for the job. This often leads to speculation of what certain films would look like under the guidance of other …
For fans of all films macabre, The Toronto After Dark Film Festival is the venue for you. But for those that can’t wait until October for nine nights of horror, sci-fi, action and cult movies running from the 18th to the 26th, the good people behind TADFF have answered your counter intuitive prayers. For two …
Every thirty days, I like to post a list of my favorite films I’ve recently watched. Here are the best films I’ve seen throughout the month of September. This list is based on movies theatrically released here in Canada, and I do not include what I have seen at film festivals. **** 1: Once …
Unless you’ve been living under a rock over the last several months, you are aware that the highly anticipated film The Hunger Games was recently released in theaters. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins. Ms. Collins probably didn’t realize that she was unleashing onto the world the …