Sam Claflin – Movie Smack Talk

Movie Review: The Huntsman: Winter’s War – Bad Pacing, Poor Acting and a Confusing Plot

By admin May 2, 2016 May 2, 2016 2.0 Star Reviews, Movie Reviews, Movie Trailers

If I saw the first Huntsman movie, I couldn’t tell you. I will tell you after seeing its sequel, I doubt I ever will. One dimensional storytelling and two of the worst accents I’ve ever heard turned this into a miss for me.

This story follows Snow White and The Huntsman, though apparently Kristen Stewart was in the last one and doesn’t appear here. This sequel kind of tries to pull in some Frozen by sticking in an evil Snow Queen played by Emily Blunt. Chris Helmsworth reprises his role as The Huntsman and this time is dealing with her, and her desire to revive her sister.

Yeah, they actually tried to shamelessly cash in on two movies, by slipping a little Frozen in, though a decidedly more adult version. It’s really attacking that mass consumer index from all angles.

I think an accountant may have written this movie. At least I would think that, if it wasn’t so damn pretty. Because it is a good looking movie. Every single inch of it, from the cast, to the CGI, fight scenes, backdrop and lighting is gorgeous to look at.

Then, Chris Helmsworth spits out line after line with a Scottish accent only a cartoon character would sport. Its painful to listen to. The first time he did it, I laughed in surprise. The accent was so distracting that I decided to look into the first movie, and watched a few clips.

Why was he Scottish in this movie, but not that one? Can you do that? Suddenly just become Scottish? Is that like The Huntsman’s superpower? The sudden, inexplicable ability to sound like the Scottish version of Yosemite Sam?

Also, I was so confused as to what was going on. I mean, seriously lost through the vast majority of it. I think this is supposed to be one of those sequel/prequels, where they slip in the backstory through the story, but the pacing was off and most of the time, I was too busy laughing at that bad accent to care.

If this was on mute, I might think it was a different movie. They invested a lot into effect, but feels like they threw together a script over a weekend and decided to let Helmsworth try out his new accent just because. The attempt to squeeze every little coin out of this franchise is sad.

It got some disappointing results at the box office. It hit number 2 in the box-office at its debut and has earned about $19 million, but I’m guessing that’s not nearly what the first one made. I think they tried to get too much out of the movie and as a result, lost the magic that likely drew viewers to the original. But I have to admit, seeing this gives me no desire at all to see the original. Bad pacing, poor acting and a confusing plot made this too much trouble to watch, despite how pretty it was to look at.

WE GAVE IT: 2 Stars – Watch the Official Trailer and Official Movie Poster below!

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Movie Review: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 – Separating The Final Book Was A Bad Move

By admin November 29, 2015 November 29, 2015 3.0 Star Reviews, Movie Reviews, Top Slider

Before I get started on this review, let me say that I knew this was coming. In the last Hunger Games movie I reviewed, I said that I thought separating the final book into two movies was a mistake.

And I was proven right.

Jennifer Lawrence returns as Katniss Everdeen to live out the second part of the Mockingjay novel, which if you’ve read it, you know it’s incredibly dark and depressing. The story finishes up the war between the district and the capital, as Katniss struggles with Peeta’s brainwashing and choosing between him and Gale. All the same characters are back, but more than a few don’t make it to the end.

The problem with this film is that there is literally no comic relief. Woody Haralson’s Haymitch is sadly absent, leading us to nothing more than a story of teen angst and overwhelming odds. It’s also a lot of repeat from the first two movies. And I mean a lot. The entire climax is yet another repeat of the premise that’s been repeated over, and over, and over again.

Also, the self-importance of this film is a bit much for me. It’s a bit like watching a college play about racism, where a bunch of idiotic newly political kids talk about race inequality like they discovered it. This is a film that thinks it’s more important than it is, rather than yet another movie about a dystopia that has heavy inequality between the upper and lower classes. The heavy handed sermonizing makes it sound like they’re the ones that discovered the fact that there was inequality between the classes to begin with.

The big problem here again, was the separation of the final book into two parts. As a result, the filmmakers were forced to stretch out the last half of a book into a full movie and the struggle to get it done shows.

I will say I was always dissatisfied with the ending in the novel series. I felt as though it started out strong and lost steam as the books progressed. I also found it annoying that whenever the author didn’t know how to transition a scene, she just has her heroine pass out.

I started to become concerned that Katniss was hypoglycemic.

The filmmakers did nothing to fix this. Instead, they followed the novel format, starting strong and then slowly running out of steam until the series close is decidedly anti-climactic.

It’s a disappointing finish for a story that should have been the ending of the last movie. And the studio is laughing all the way to the bank. Mockingjay Part Two came out on top at the box office, raking in an impressive $102 million. I can understand why they did it. I just wish they hadn’t.

In the end, I found this finale entirely disappointing and depressing. The Hunger Games started out strongly enough, but then failed to deliver in this final installment.

On the upside, at least it’s finally over.

WE GAVE IT : 3 STARS! Watch the Official Trailer and See the Official Movie Poster below

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Movie Review: Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 – A whole butt-load of fluff and Fodder

By admin November 28, 2014 November 28, 2014 3.5 Star Reviews, Movie Reviews, Top Slider

Very few new releases came out this past Friday, as it seems very few movie makers were willing to go up against the third installment of the Hunger Games. Considering the fact that the last wildly successful movie ended in a cliff hanger, it’s not surprising that the continuation is crushing it at the box office.

In Mockingjay, we again meet up with Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) shortly after she straight up wrecked the giant Hunger Games bubble. She travels to the highly secretive District 13, where she meets up with President Colin (Julienne Moore), while the District prepares for war….that we really won’t get to see because they split the last movie into two separate movies.

I’m going to say it. It was a cheap, sleazy move. Yes, it worked for Twilight, but that was because the final book in the Twilight series was twice as long as the other books and had two distinct parts. This was not the case with the novel Mockingjay was based on. In fact, it might have actually been shorter than the first two books.

So enter a whole butt-load of fluff and fodder to force this into a two parter, no matter how unnecessary. There’s lots of sitting around in war rooms, strategizing and trying to figure out how to cash in on Katniss’ reluctant hero routine. Much of it feels repetitive and dragged out. This movie is by no means as exciting as the first two.

I’m going to say this, despite my love for the lead in this film. Jennifer Lawrence, you’re getting too old for this sh@t. When the star signed on for the trilogy, she was still in the ingénue stage and was perfect for the part. But after several years, and many more mature rolls, I’m just not feeling it anymore.

The action scenes are played out. Every single district looks the same, as Katniss scales piles of bones and rubble, all while looking sad and world weary.

The late great Phillip Seymour Hoffman is featured heavily in this film, and his sardonic commentary helps break of the monotony. In addition, they’ve added in Elizabeth Banks’ character, though she’s been deglamorized. Both are a welcome breath of air in a heavy movie that felt a bit more like Wag the Dog then an adaptation of a dystopian young adult novel.

The movie ends on a sour note, with Katniss not even taking part in the most exciting battle scene. Well, I mean, she watches it on a TV, but it’s not really the same as watching her going all “Rambo with a Bow”. Again, this was a result of splitting the movie. Looks like we’re going to have to wait for the unnecessary fourth installment to see her in action.

While not as exciting as the first two, Mockingjay Part 1 still carries forward the same SE quality and acting chops, so it’s not a total letdown. Let down least of all are the producers, who raked in an impressive $120 million on the opening weekend.

WE GAVE IT: 3.5 Stars – Watch the Official Trailer and Official Movie Poster below!

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‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay’ Reveals District 13 Logo, New Website and Character Posters!

By admin August 7, 2014 August 7, 2014 Character Photos and Promos, Top Slider

Lionsgate revealed some good new fashioned viral marketing. They released a logo of District 13 and some long awaited character posters.

While Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s character is there along with Beetee I noticed that Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss was missing as well as Liam Hemsworth’s Gale character. This leads me to believe that the folks at Lionsgate are not done yet.

Along with the pics, they have launched their new viral site: District13.co.in If you are complaining about the .in instead of .com then you don’t get the clever reference to the President. “COIN”! Well played Ms. President, Well Played.

All that appears there right now is static, a small rendering of the District 13 logo, and a big QR code. If you scan the code with your phone, it takes you to the mobile site where you can login via social media using facebook or twitter. Then you do a little work to get the posters.

I’m sure there will be more to come. We have a full 105 days to the movies November 21st release.

[toggle title=”OFFICIAL MOVIE SYNOPSIS”]Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) finds herself in District 13 after she destroys the Games forever. Under the leadership of President Coin (Julianne Moore) and the advice of her trusted friends, Katniss spreads her wings as she fights to save Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and a nation moved by her courage.[/toggle]

Teaser Trailer and 6 Character Posters and Log Below – Enjoy

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