Film of the
Week:
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2
One day in 2012, snow had fallen and had successfully disrupted
the traffic and many trains were cancelled, meaning I had to wait for my dad to
come and pick me up from work, which wouldn’t be for another few hours yet. It
was cold, snowing heavily, and the last thing I wanted to do was walk around
town aimlessly, browsing shop after shop getting increasingly bored, so I
decided to go to the cinema to watch a film, because that way I’ll be indoors and
therefore in the warm. I believed that my reasoning for watching a film was
justified, but technically speaking, I was going to the cinema just for the sake
of going to the cinema, so I had the problem of not knowing what to watch,
making my time worthwhile. As I was looking at the posters, I remembered that
my friend had just recently recommended the Hunger Games to me and said that if
I ever get the chance to see it, I should. Well, what better time to watch it
than when being stuck in town, I guess, so I went to watch the Hunger Games.
I came out of that cinema satisfied with my choice. It was
gripping right from the start. The concept of a dystopian world in which people
are randomly chosen to compete in what is known as the Hunger Games, where you
have to survive countless traps and continuous onslaughts by your opponents from
other districts. Seeing Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) stand up to the authorities
and demand that they take her instead of her sister, Primrose, and then
struggle to endure the 74th Annual Hunger Games, and at the end of
it all, team up with Peeta Mallark (Josh Hutcherson) and together forcibly change
the rules. Before, the games can only have one victor, but now there’s two.
What is going to happen from the on? It was a thrill ride from beginning to
end.
I was hooked. When the second came out, Catching Fire. I didn’t go
and see it in the cinema, but I did eventually get to see it when it came out
on DVD. After being forced to leave their family behind, Katniss and Peeta must
embark on the “Victor’s Tour”, which is basically them going around all the
other districts and getting interviewed about the games, and how she won. Katniss
smells a rat. President Show is in charge and prepares for the 75th
Annual Hunger Games.
The third film in the franchise, which is the first of two parts
of the final instalment, Mockingjay, the games have been shattered completely,
and along with fellow teammates, Katniss starts to fight back against President
Snow. Peeta is lost, but Katniss fights to have him back. As she does, her
popularity increases and soon the whole nation are by her side, supporting her.
It was tense throughout. As this is the first of two parts, it focused mainly
on setting up the second part, as well as telling its own story. It ended on a
decent cliff-hanger, and now I had to wait basically an entire year before the
second part came out.
And now we’ve come to the end Katniss’ story. The second and final
part, Mockingjay – Part 2. They are at war. Katniss and a group of victors
slowly make their way through the capital. With Several lethal traps have been
placed in every which direction, and with dangerous enemies and Snow’s loyal
followers, President Snow isn’t going to go down without a fight. Katniss is
pushed to her limit, and beyond as she is then faced with a difficult moral
choice.
The film had only just came out on DVD last week, so there may
still be a fair few people who haven’t seen it, so I will refrain from giving
away the biggest twist of the entire franchise. You won’t be disappointed. Of
course, if you have read the books, then you would know exactly what happens
beforehand. I will admit I never read the books, so I don’t know how faithful
the films are to their source material, so all my opinions of all the films
have been independent.
The actual film itself, however, was different from the previous
three instalments. The action sequences, as useful as they were the film as a
whole, were more spread out than before. There are a lot of scenes where the
characters are talking and explain important elements in the story, and the quieter
scenes building up to the action sequences were tense and weren’t drawn out. In
the end, I felt that every scene in that film had some relevance to the overall
story. Encapsulated in just over 2 hours, the journey that Katniss takes is
very detailed, showing you just how difficult and impenetrable the capital is
to navigate through.
It was a long time coming, and I believe it did the franchise
justice. I was told that it was a lot darker than the previous three, and it
was, but it did it well. Any scenes that pushed the franchise in a direction it
never went before made sure the journey wasn’t wasted as it tested Katniss and
her friends. Do I feel sad that the franchise is over? Yes, but the story ended
with a full-stop. There is no reason for it to continue. As much as I will miss
the characters, I won’t be expecting or trying to decipher what happens next.
Their world has changed, and changed for the better. All the characters are
happy, and so I am happy. It’s a fitting end to an awesome story.
TV Episode
of the Week:
Daredevil – Season 2 – Episode 1: Bang
Last season was dark, different from anything MARVEL has ever done
before, and epic. This season is much the same, but more relaxed. The show has found
its place and therefore and sigh with relief as it continues to move forward.
Be it as a part of the MARVEL Cinematic Universe, featuring numerous
references to specific characters, certain events, and countless Easter Eggs
from the comics, their own projects, despite all of that, it is a strong
standalone. Daredevil Season 2 picks up one year later, after Wilson Fisk’s
rampage through Hell’s Kitchen, therefore continuing with the incredibly
different style compared to the films and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It is a lot
darker, brutal, challenging the characters more than ever, testing the morals of
the public than ever before, this is one heck of a season.
Because it is the second season, you will already be familiar with
the show’s style, but in the interlude period between season 1 and season 2, we’ve
had a few films and a couple of other TV series; light-hearted they all were.
When you first saw Episode 1 of Daredevil, it made the transition from light to
dark tones well, and this season does do that, but much better, because the
show knows what it is. All it needed to do was introduce the characters via a
couple of lines of dialogue and you’ll be brought right back up to speed with
everything that is going on, so all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the
rest of the season.
And boy am I enjoying the season. The fight scenes never disappoint.
Because the show is more relaxed, the fight scenes are that much more epic,
tense, and incredibly well-choreographed. Episode 3 has a full-on five minute
marathon of a fight scene that takes place in a stairwell. Daredevil and a
Biker gang give everything they’ve got. It is one long continuous scene that
will make sure you are sitting on the edge of your seat throughout. It goes
bigger and better than before.
Mat Murdock (Charlie Cox) is a lot more comfortable in the suit
than before, but his friend, Franklin “Foggy” Nelson (Elden Henson) as much as
he wants to support his friend with what he does, is struggling to completely approve
of the life Mat has chosen. Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) is still in the dark
with who Mat really is, and now that they have just started to date, their
ability to keep that secret can only be tested.
As I said before, it is a strong standalone, but that doesn’t
divide it completely from the pack. You do know that it is part of the MCU
right from the off, even dishing out a few references to the other Netflix
original series, Jessica Jones, even going so far as naming her, which the show
didn’t do when mentioning Daredevil.
All in all, it is an absolutely amazing show. You’ll find yourself
having binge-watched it before it’s too late, and then when you’ve finished
watching the final episode, you’ll wonder what on Earth is going to happen
next.
Game of the Week:
Dirt 3
Whilst you’re waiting, why not have a go at rallying? Dirt 3, the
sequel to Colin McRae: Dirt 2. As much as I would like to say how good this game
is on its own, I have no choice but to compare to its predecessor, because in
my opinion, Dirt 2 is one of the best rallying games on the market today. It’s
solid, the driving is smooth, the graphics are great, and the overall simulation
of going blisteringly fast down the narrowest of tracks couldn’t get more
thrilling. Dirt 3 replicates all of the above, except it tries to be a bit more
realistic compared to that of Dirt 2. Not saying that’s an overall bad thing,
but it is something I have to point out if you are going to go from one game to
the other, as it may surprise you if you are used to the previous two games.
“It’s just another rally game”, you may say, “what’s the
difference between the two?” Well, the tracks are different, the cars are
different, and the games adds events that you may compete in to earn any medal
from bronze to platinum. If you are a fan of rally games, then this is a good,
refreshing game to play. If you are new to the franchise, then you will be in
for a treat. Oh, and to give you a bit more of a challenge, the game introduces
rain and show, which do act realistically, giving you a harder time in the
corners, especially if you get a bit too cocky with your speed, as I have done
multiple times before and rolled the car, causing some considerable damage, preventing
me from getting the fastest time and coming not first.
Racing games are my forte. If racing games are your forte, then
this game will allow you to give it all you’ve got and more. It’s a solid game
that tests you just as much as it lets you have a joyous ride. Just make sure
that you are aware of the rocks on the inside.
Video of the
Week:
David Tennant’s Video Diary – Doctor Who – BBC One
(By BBC)
With Easter right round the corner, I thought I would talk about
Doctor Who’s Easter special, Plant of the Dead, although it must be noted that
the theme of Easter is not as significant as the show’s Christmas Specials.
Starring David Tennent as the Doctor and Michelle Ryan, who plays Lady
Christina de Souza, serving as a one-off companion.
The video above shows David Tennent about to go for the first read
through of the episode, Planet of the Dead. The episode is the first of four specials
before David says goodbye to Doctor Who as a full-time Doctor. He wouldn’t
return until the 50th anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor. Because
this was the first part of his final year, it didn’t hit me that he was leaving
the show as hard as the following specials. I was able to enjoy this solely as
just another episode as if David wouldn’t be leaving for a long time coming,
which was nice.
Anyway, the episode itself:
Lady Christina de Souza narrowly evades the Police after stealing
a golden chalice from a London museum by hopping on the 200 bus. On the bus,
she meets the Doctor who says he is only there to try and track a wormhole with
his gadget that is getting some funny looks as it beeps strangely. As luck
would have it, the wormhole that the Doctor is tracking is the same one that
the bus suddenly goes through just as it was about to exit a tunnel. On the other
side, the driver and passengers discover that they are trapped in a desert.
Despite the Doctor’s protest, the driver attempts to return home by walking
back through the wormhole. Standing on the other side, the Police is terrified
to see a skeleton appear out of nowhere. Upon seeing it, they call in UNIT
(Unified Intelligence Taskforce) who Captain Erisa Magambo is in charge of and
aided with scientific adviser, Malcolm Taylor (Lee Evans). The two help the
Doctor get the passengers get home safely.
However, there is a reason why they are standing on sand, and the
storm they can see in the distance isn’t a storm, but a swarm. Now, instead of
just getting back home safely, they have a strict time limit, adding pressure
on the matter at hand.
Like most of Davies writing, this episode doesn’t feature a clear
antagonist. All characters who are first perceived to be enemies during this
episode turned out to be sympathetic towards the Doctor and Lady Christina, and
just following their biological imperative.
When I sat down on Easter evening to watch this episode, I was
presently surprised to see my favourite comedian as one of the cast members. He
does a brilliant job being a bumbling genius who people trust because he knows
what he is talking about, even impressing the Doctor himself with his level of
understanding of the wormhole. Here’s a bit of trivia for you. During most of
his live performances, Lee Evans created a dysfunctional character called
Malcolm. But don’t worry, despite some similarities, there is no connection
between the two.
A bit of trivia about the show itself: The script called for both
buses to be intact after going through the wormhole, but when one of the buses
was travelling overseas to the desert to shoot on location, a container landed
on top of the bus, damaging the roof significantly. The producers couldn’t
afford nor had the time to get a new bus, so they made the most out of the
situation by changing the script to say that the bus was damaged when going
through the wormhole, and they simply did the same thing to the other bus that
was to stay in the UK for when they shoot the scenes in London.
So, if you have nothing to watch on Easter, then stick this on and
enjoy yourself a bit of Doctor Who.
Thanks for reading
Antony Hudson
(TonyHadNouns)
My book, Sector 22: Zoey, is now available on Amazon, eBay, and SkyCat Publications' website:
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Ask me anything at:
ahudsonpresents@live.co.uk
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