The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

Ever since the beginning of this franchise back in 2012, one would've thought that the end of it would be "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay--Part 2" in 2015, but no. Apparently, the novelist, Suzanne Collins was convinced to write another saga which is how "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" even came into being. 

Experience the story of 'The Hunger Games'--64 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute, and decades before Coriolanus Snow became the tyrannical President of Panem. This particular story follows a young Coriolanus (Tom Blyth) who is the last hope for his failing lineage, the once proud Snow family that has fallen from grace in a post war Capitol. With his livelihood threatened, Snow is reluctantly assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from the impoverished District 12. But after Lucy Gray's charm captivates the audience of Panem, Snow sees an opportunity to shift their fates. With everything he has worked for hanging in the balance, Snow unites with Lucy Gray to turn the odds in their favor. Battling his instincts for both good and evil, Snow sets out on a race against time to survive and reveal if he will ultimately become a songbird or a snake. 

Others to round out the cast are Viola Davis as Dr. Volumnia Gaul, Peter Dinklage as Dean Casca Highbottom, Fionnula Flanagan as Grandma am, Jason Schwartzman as Incretius "Lucky" Flickerman, Josh Andrew Rivera as Sejanus Plinth, Hunter Schafer as Tigris Snow, Burn Garman as Commander Hoff and Ashley Liao as Clemensia Dovecote. 

This was directed with the same feel as the other films of this franchise by Francis Laurence ("Gotham" (TV movie) '96, "Constantine" '05, "I Am Legend" '07, "Water for Elephants" '11, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" '13, "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay--Part 1" '14, "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay--Part 2" '15, "Red Sparrow" '18,"Slumberland" '22) plus TV, a short, a video and a plethora of music videos. It was clearly strategic to be able to hire Laurence to direct this considering his already experience with this franchise (check out the resume), so a similar feel was present within the franchise, even though there were different actors in this installment. The intensity rose at a realistic pace and the staging by these actors was implemented well--this all helps having consistency in the directing. It was well written by Michael Lesslie ("Capture Anthologies: The Dimensions of Self" (segment--"Airlock or see how to say goodbye in space") '11, "Macbeth" '15, "Assassin's Creed" '16) plus TV and shorts and Michael Arndt ("Little Miss Sunshine" '06, "Toy Story 3" '10, "Oblivion" '13, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" '13, "A Walk in the Woods" '15, "Inside Out" (additional material) '15, "Star Wars: Episode VII--The Force Awakens" '15) plus video games and a video, based on the novel by Suzanne Collins. I went to see this film with great trepidation since I'm not overly fond of this franchise. But after viewing it, I was quite surprised, especially since the running time is the better part of two and three quarter hours. Other than a couple of very small places of slowness and sequencing issues, this was a well honed script. The running time could've been shaved approximately 20 minutes and still offer the same impact of the story.

Certainly, if you are a fan of this franchise, you'll revel with this. It definitely leaves the audience with an open-ended story, so a sequel could be in the making assuming the film profits. I know, what a shock! The character development was very well thought out and the chemistry between Blyth and Zegler was powerful and intense. Also Davis as Dr. Gail was a hoot and exemplifies the quality of this wonderful actor. If you're on the fence about this, it is surely worthy of the price of admission. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                        Rated: PG-13                                   157mins.

The Marvels

We certainly know that it is the end of year film season considering there is a comic book film being released. Summer's over, so the next yearly installment of this type of film (when the kids are out of school) is, of course, during the end of year holiday combo. And this time we have Marvel Studios (Disney) releasing "The Marvels", a follow up to 2019's "Captain Marvel".

Carol Danvers AKA Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, Dar-benn (Zawe Ashton), her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan Kamala Khan, aka Ms.Marvel (Iman Vellani), and Carol's estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris). Can Carol and Monica work out there differences so they can defeat the enemy before all is lost?

Others to round out the cast are Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Gary Lewis as Emperor Dro'ge, Seo-Joon Park as Prince Yan, Zenobia Shroff as Muneeba Khan, Mohan Kapur as Yusuf Khan, Saagar Shaikh as Admir Khan, Leila Farzad as Talia, Abraham Popoola as Dag and Daniel Ings as Ty-Rone.

This was directed with grit and an adventurous feel by Nia DaCosta ("Little Woods" '18, "Candyman" '21) plus TV and shorts. Even though this filmmaker hasn't a plethora of experience in the director's chair, she has shown herself to be an artist that is formidable in her ability to showcase these actors in roles that, even though this is pure fantasy, are as realistic in their approach to their respective characters. It was adequately written by Nia DaCosta, Megan McDonnell and Elissa Karasik. These writers have limited experience which, with a premise that includes multiple universes and time jumping, demands a writer(s) that are more seasoned. This kind of premise would be challenging for a seasoned writer, much less writers that are not. The script simply jumped and meandered way too much which made it difficult at best to follow. These writers are just not ready for prime time and should either delve into more TV or write screenplays that are not as complex as a film such as this. Why doesn't Disney pay more money to obtain better writers? They do this repeatedly, and if they would invest a bit more money, their return on their investment would be that much more profitable. The visual effects predominantly created by ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic) and SPI (Sony Pictures Imageworks) were seamless, however, one would have to know this before entering the theater. 

I know this will be a shock, but there will be a sequel. Assuming this profits, it will because those young people are out of school and are heading to the multiplex. Cha-ching! Since it's also presented in IMAX, if you have to see it, better on a large screen. 

Out of 4 Stars: 1.5                                            Rated: PG-13                                           105mins.

Next Goal Wins

For decades Hollywood has produced quite a number of underdog films: "Invincible", "The Replacements", "Miracle", "The American Underdog", "The Hill", "Hackshaw Ridge", to mention a handful. We all, to whatever degree, like to see someone overcome their obstacles in life for it gives us that warm and fuzzy feeling inside. So, when I saw the trailer of "Next Goal Wins", I simply had to see it, and what I received was more that just seeing a team winning a game.

This story, based on true events, follows the American Samoan soccer team, infamous for their brutal 31-0 Australian loss in 2001. With the World Cup Qualifiers approaching in 2014, the team, desperately needing  a seasoned coach, hires down-on-his-luck Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender) hoping he will turn the world's worst soccer team around in this heartfelt underdog comedy/drama. After a point, the president of the American Samoan soccer team organization, Tavita becomes disillusioned by Rongen's coaching approach since their cultures are so entirely different., but knows that they have to work together in some capacity.  

Others to round out the cast are Kaimana as Jaiyah, David Fane as Ace, Rachel House as Ruth, Beulah Koale as Daru, Will Arnett as Alex Magnussen, Elisabeth Moss as Gail, Uli Latukefu as Nicky Salapu, Sisa Grey as convenient store cashier, Chris Alosio as Jonah and Taika Waititi as American Samoan priest. 

This was directed in that tongue in cheek style that no one can succeed at as well as Taika Waititi ("Eagle vs Shark" '07, "Boy" '10, "What We Do In the Shadows" '14, "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" '16, "Thor: Ragnarok" '17, "Jojo Rabbit" '19, "Thor: Love and Thunder" '22) plus shorts, TV, videos and a music video. Other than Fassbender, Arnett and Moss, I've really not heard of the supporting cast here, and it truly has everthing to do with Waititi's ability to bring these characters from a non-communicative, disjointed team to become a communicative and cohesive team to obtain what it was that was missing as a real team--on and off the field. If you like this filmmaker's brand of directing, his "Akira" is in production at this point. It was cleverly written by Taika Waititi (Eagle vs Shark" '07, "Boy" '10, "What We Do In the Shadows" '14, "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" '16, "Jojo Rabbit" '19,"Thor: Love and Thunder" '22) plus shorts, TV and videos and Iain Morris ("The Inbetweeners" '11, "The Inbetweeners 2" '14) plus TV, based on the documentary, "Next Goal Wins". What makes this story more compelling than meets the eye is that it's not about winning a soccer game as much as it's about connecting with others in family and life in general. These players had to realize that they first were to strive to connect, and then, only then, they could even begin to succeed in whatever--this being to get at least one soccer goal. The only issue I had with this script was that a number of the comedic lines seemed forced and contrived. I'm not sure if this was a writing or acting issue with some of the performers that don't have an abundance of experience. Otherwise, it was a stand up and cheer film.

If you like the other films that Waititi has directed, you'll love this since it has a similar style. If you want to see Waititi in golden form, rent "Jojo Rabbit". It was uproarious! This film was humorous, heartfelt, and seriously brought home a definitive message that we all can learn from. Waititi also gives a very funny turn as an American Samoan priest that was humorous and meaningful.

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                          Rated: PG-13                                     104mins.

The Holdovers

When it comes to powder dry comedy films, director, Alexander Payne is probably the king. The poignancy, pathos and 'dryness' are the trademarks of his films. One can see it in his list of eclectic films: "Sideways", "About Schmidt", "Nebraska", etc. Now, with "The Holdovers" in the offing, we can see that distinct Payne style we've all come to love and enjoy.

Nobody likes teacher Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti)--not his students, not his fellow faculty, not the headmaster, Dr, Hardy Woodruff (Andrew Garman), who all find his pomposity and rigidity exasperating. With no family and nowhere to go over Christmas holiday in 1970, Paul remains in school to supervise students unable, for different reasons, to journey home. After a few days, and most of the students were able to leave, only one student holdover remains--a trouble-making 15-year-old named Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa), a good student whose bad behavior always threatens to get him expelled. Joining Paul and Angus is head cook Mary Lamb (Da"Vine Joy Randolph), an African-American who caters to sons of privilege and whose own son recently lost in Vietnam. These three very different shipwrecked people form an unlikely Christmas family sharing comic misadventures during two very snowy weeks in New England. The real journey is how they help one another understand that they are not beholden to their past--they can choose their own futures.

Others to round out the cast are Carrie Preston as Miss Lydia Crane, Brady Hepner as Teddy Kountze, Michael Provost as Jason Smith, Ian Dolley as Alex Ollerman, Jim Kaplan as Ye-Joon Park, Tate Donovan as Stanley Clottfelter, Gillian Vigman as Judy Clottfelter, Naheem Garcia as Danny and Stephen Thorne as Thomas Tully. 

This was directed with clarity and pathos by the incomparable Alexander Payne ("The Passion of Martin" '91, "Citizen Ruth" '96, "Election" '99, "About Schmidt" '02, "Sideways" '04, "Paris, se t'aime" (segment: "14e amondissement") '06, "The Descendents" '11, "Nebraska" '13, "Downsizing" '17) plus TV, a short and videos. This filmmaker is amazing in that his ability to encourage his actors to extract the emotions they exude simply compliments the screenplay. He used Giamatti in "Sideways" and that film also starring Thomas Haden Church, has got to be one of Payne's best films, so, of course, using Giamatti was a brilliant choice. Payne writes a fair amount of his own work, however, this was written well by a virtual newcomer, David Hemingson ("Two Beautiful Children" (TV movie) '07, "The Call" (TV movie) '07) plus a plethora of TV. Even though he has an abundance of TV experience, this is his first feature film to his credit, and he has written a dynamite script. Really, other than a couple of small places of slowness and one small place of a continuity issue, this screenplay was incredible. Most seasoned feature film writers couldn't produce a better scripted film which is ironic. If this is his first feature film, he will undoubtedly receive more work. This film is very similar to Payne's style, which tells me that he must've influenced Hemingson. This film introduces Dominic Sessa and he gave an impressive performance where he will certainly receive more work as well.

This is a film about underdogs--three of them in this film, and watching them all connect in a place where they have no way out but to interact, lest they spend the next two weeks staring at one another, was crafted well. Watching these individuals slowly, but realistically transform is interesting and compelling, where, after a point, the audience just wants to stand up and cheer these people in their quest to 'find themselves'.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                    Rated: R                                         133mins.

Journey to Bethlehem

We've seen many incarnations of the birth of Jesus Christ--too numerous to list, but what makes Affirm Films's version of "Journey to Bethlehem" is that it was made as a musical. At first, even after seeing a trailer, it still didn't fully win me over. However, after viewing it, it truly became a film that was full of faith, humor, adventure all rolled up as a musical with original songs that were created to inspire.

A young woman, Mary (Fiona Paloma) carrying an unimaginable responsibility. A young man, Joseph (Milo Manheim) torn between love and honor. A jealous king, Herod (Antonio Banderas) who stop at nothing to keep his crown. This live-action Christmas musical celebration for the entire family, weaves classic Christmas melodies into newly created pop songs in a music-infused rendition of the timeless story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus. A unique new entry into the collection of holiday classic movies, this epic Christmas musical is unlike any before it. 

Others to round out the cast are Lecrae as the angel Gabriel, Moriah as Deborah, Joel Smallbone as Antipater, Omid Djalili as Melchior, Stephanie Gil as Rebekah, Geno Segers as Balthazar, Rizwan Manji as Gaspar and Antonio Gil as Jacob. 

This was directed with pathos by virtual newcomer to the director's chair, Adam Anders ("Rosa" (TV movie) '17). Certainly, considering the lack of experience behind the camera, this filmmaker was still able to stage and pace this with expertise and clarity. The emotions the actors emitted were spot on and definitely gave the audience that feeling that these characters were genuine. It was equally written well by Adam Anders ("Kally's Mashup"'21) plus TV, and Peter Barsocchini ("Viva High School Musical" '08, "Rock and Roll Forever" '09, "High School Musical: O Desafio" '10, "Summer Camp" (TV movie) '10, "The Passion" (TV movie) '16, "High School Musical 2" (TV movie) '17, "Ping Pong Rabbit" '17, "Kally's Mashuo" '21) plus videos. Considering the experience of these two writers, it surely wasn't surprising that they were able to pull this storyline together since their respective resumes are evident of it. Anders is a music composer (co-cpmposer of this film's music) and Barsocchini has an impressive background that's grounded in musicals. Where the scenes that take place in the non-singing part of the film were a bit choppy, the musical numbers more than made up for it. Certainly, both Paloma and Manheim as Mary and Joseph respectively exuded great chemistry, and Banderas as King Herod looked as though he had a ball doing this role as it was so hammy--but this makes that type of role that much more fun to act. 

If you're a Christian or simply want to be inspired by the greatest story ever told, this film surely hits home. It's a film to be seen by the whole family replete with faith, humor, adventure, love and redemption all rolled up in a totally delightful and moving film. The musicals numbers were catchy as they were moving.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                          Rated: PG                                        98mins.

Radical

I don't happen to watch an abundant amount of foreign films, however when one comes my way, I am definitely pushed and encouraged to see it. One such film was "The City of God" about the ghettos of Rio de Janerio and the presumed hopelessness of its existence. When I viewed the trailer for "Radical", I simply had to see it because of its premise and its lead star, Eugenio Derbez, who was also in the brilliant foreign film, "Instructions Not Included". 

Who will the sixth grade students at Jose Urbina Lopez Elementary in Matamoros, Mexico become? They are among the worst performing students in Mexico. The world they know is one of violence, poverty and hardship, and their classrooms are dominated by an atmosphere of overbearing discipline, not possibility. It might seem like a dead end...but it is also the perfect place for new teacher Sergio Juarez Correa (Eugenio Derbez) to try something different. There's just one problem: Sergio has no idea what he's doing. The director of the school, Chucho (Daniel Haddad) has more than one run in with him, only to slowly see that Sergio's approach to the students with his unorthodox methods is somehow working and he is confused immensely. Can Sergio bring out these kids' potential, or is it just a pipe dream?

Others to round out the cast are Jennifer Trejo as Paloma, Danilo Guardiola Escobar as Nico, Mia Fernanda Solis as Lupe, Gilberto Barraza as Papa Paloma, Victor Estrada as Chepe, Manuel Marquez as Enrique, Christian Gonzalez as Jaime, Xochiquetzal Martinez as Maria, Edmundo Monoz as Beto and Enoc Leano as Administrator.

This was directed with such pathos and heart by Christopher Zalla ("Blood of My Blood" '07, "Beautiful & Twisted" (TV movie) '15) plus TV and a short. This filmmaker certainly knows his way around getting his actors to emit those heartfelt emotions that is incredibly needed in a project as this. Of course, with Derbez as the teacher, a production couldn't have better casting. And with this as a team, how could this production go wrong? It was also penned well by Christopher Zalla ("Blood of My Blood" '07), based on an article by Joshua Davis. Considering that Zalla only has one other feature film to his credit, I was stunned by his ability to create this screenplay, tell this true story all the while entertaining its audience in a way that seasoned writers couldn't master. Other than a couple of very small places of choppiness--I mean very small, this script was amazing. It was a kind of a Hispanic "School Of Rock" as far as the unorthodox methods that each teacher introduced to their class. Derbez certainly was the shining star of this production. He pulled off his role of this teacher with humility, heart and humor and could possibly earn an Oscar nod. 

If you like foreign films, and more to the point, if you like films that have someone that strives to bring kids out of a dead-end existence to a place where they can thrive, this is definitely the film for you. The supporting cast were effective and the directing was spot on. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                          Rated: PG-13                                       125mins.

What Happens Later

We've all seen a plethora of romantic comedies in the years we've been on this planet, but how many romcoms have you seen with only three (including a voice over) which encumbers the entire cast? Well, "What Happens Later" not only has this extremely limited cast, but also captures your attention during its close to two-hour running time. 

Two ex lovers, Bill Davis (David Duchovny) and Willa Davis (Meg Ryan), who just happens to share the same last name, get snowed in at a small regional airport overnight indefinitely delayed. Willa, a magical thinker, and Bill, a catastrophic one, find themselves just as attracted and annoyed by one another as they did decades earlier in this chance encounter. As they unpack the riddle of their mutual past and compare their lives to the dreams they once shared, they begin to wonder if their reunion is mere coincidence, or something more enchanted.

The only other one to round out the cast is Hal Liggett as the airport voice over, who is pivotal in this role and script.

This was poignantly directed by Meg Ryan ("Ithaca" '15). Even though this is only Ryan's second outing in the director's chair, she has truly captured these two characters at the emotionally rawest of situations. This isn't merely a chance encounter replete with small talk and 'what went wrong with the relationship', like in other romcoms. This film dug much deeper and it simply showed in how Ryan was able to show the audience how vulnerable these people were and are. It was penned very well by writers Steven Dietz, Kirk Lynn and Meg Ryan, based on the play "Shooting Star" by Steven Dietz. None of these writers have a substantial amount of experience, but they were able to pull off a very interesting storyline. Of course, Dietz wrote the play which this film is based, so surely that had to be the largest reason of the script's success, but the other writers were undoubtedly pivotal in their input as well. Usually I feel if there's more than two writers involved in any one film, it has a tendency to become bogged down--too many chefs in the kitchen, but with the playwright being involved in the script, this helped. Was it perfect? No, but really, other than a couple of very small slow spots and a small continuity issue, this was an incredible screenplay. 

This film is clearly about picking up where one has left off at, meaning these two individuals split decades ago with much baggage involved with them both. This happenstance meeting at this airport gave them the opportunity to make good on an otherwise sour relationship when they split up. This goes deep--much deeper than I thought would happen. And this is a good thing that all of us can learn from. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                          Rated: R                                                 103mins.