Earlier today at Comic-Con, they released the latest trailer for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. This trailer was then uploaded to Yahoo! Movies for those who didn't go to Comic-Con. I'm one of those guys who sat at home waiting to review this trailer like I did the last one (to see my review of the previous Catching Fire trailer, click here.) Again, like I said in my previous trailer review and my pre-review for this film, I will more than likely deal with spoilers, since the film is based on a book which I have read. This review is geared towards those who have also read the book.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is an upcoming action-adventure film
based on the novel Catching Fire by Susanne Collins that follows Katniss
Everdeen and Peeta Mellark as they tour the districts of Panem on their
victory tour after winning the 74th annual Hunger Games. What they
don't realize is that their defiance of the rules that they demonstrated
in the Games has made them into role models for a rebellion rising in
the districts. This prompts President Snow to mark them both as well as
the previous Game victors as threats to be resolved in the Quarter
Quell.
This new trailer offer much more than the previous, which is something I like to see. I'm not a fan of when trailers reuse the same footage in every trailer and only offer a small handful of new clips. This one recycles a few shots, but the majority of it is new material. This trailer also touches on a major plot point of the story, the Quarter Quell. The Quarter Quell was hinted at in the end of the previous trailer, but never outright shown or explained. We were only treated to an exchange between President Snow and Heavensbee: "Her entire species must be eradicated." "Her species, sir?" "The other victors. Because of her, they think they're invincible."
Now I'm going to get into the shot-by-shot review. I'll be doing this a bit differently, since trailers skip around with shots, I will be grouping similar shots and review them as a group, rather than one by one.
The trailer opens with Katniss entering Victor's Village, where all the District 12 victors live after the Games. This is a scene from early on in the book.
While this scene of Katniss and her sister Prim appeared briefly in the previous trailer, none of the dialogue used in the first trailer is recycled. It also touches on something that really drives Katniss's motivations in the book, which is that her acts of rebellion have an effect on not only her, but those she cares for.
Catching Fire is directed by a new director, Francis Lawrence. As such, not everything can be expected to be the same. One thing that I find both different and very interesting is the shots of The Capitol shown in this new trailer. We weren't treated to very many shots of the Capitol in the previous trailer, and the shots in this one seem different to me than how I remember the Capitol looking in the previous movie. In The Hunger Games, I always thought the Capitol looked a lot like Corescant in the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, but the Capitol in this film looks more like a cross between Corescant and a modern day city with normal skyscrapers. All that being said, in the trailer over-all, I do get more of a sci-fi feel from this trailer than I did in the entire first movie.
Advanced technology was hinted at in the first film, but this trailer certainly shows a bit more. Like in the above picture of Katniss and Peeta being filmed by a camera system. They doesn't appear to be any crew, but it's a trailer. We're only treated to two shots of it. This shot also begins to show the complicated relationship (or lack thereof) between the two, which Peeta then explains.
Also prevalent in this trailer is the threat of rebellion. The trailers (and I wouldn't be surprised if the movie also takes this view), but Gale seems to be the leader of the rebellion. There are many shots of rebellion, (some recycled from the first trailer) including the execution of Rue's family member, the attack on and burning of the Hub, and Gale's whipping.
Dang, she grew several feet in only a year...
In the book, the kiss between Katniss and Gale was only mentioned as already happened, but the movie (being a movie) needs to show it. It also takes it a step further by proving that President Snow has been spying on Katniss's activities via cameras, as in the trailer, we see that Snow has video evidence of the kiss. The President's threat against her family is also shown dramatically.
The trailer also expands upon the Quarter Quell, a topic that is a major plot point in the book and almost completely absent in the first trailer. We are also teased with brief glimpses of Katniss's wedding dress and Phoenix dress.
And the final topic in the trailer: The Quell itself. The 75th Hunger Games in which past victors are chosen and must fight to the death. We are shown shots of victors training, including a brief shot of Finnick Odar, Enobaria, Gloss and I think Johanna. As the trailer closes, we get a brief glimpse of the arena, and Katniss dives into the water.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Coming to theaters November 22, 2013. I liked this trailer, as it did not use too much footage from the previous one, and they do give more information on the driving plot point, the quell. I will say though, they don't shown that much of Peeta or Haymitch in this trailer. It reminded me of the latest trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in which several main characters, including Thorin and Gandalf, are oddly absent.
I still can't wait to see this movie but until then, May the Odds be Ever in your Favor.
Pictured above is Chris Pine and William Shatner as the captain of the iconic star ship The USS Enterprise, Captain James T. Kirk. Shater (above picture, right) played the role in Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969) as well as in the first several Star Trek films: The Motion Picture (1979), Wrath of Khan (1982), Search for Spock (1984), The Voyage Home (1986), The Final Frontier (1989), The Undiscovered Country, (1991) and finally, Generations (1994). Kirk was then not in the series until the reboot-remake-sequel-ception of a movie, Star Trek (2009), in which he was portrayed by actor Chris Pine (above picture, left). Pine also played Kirk in the most recent film in the franchise, Into Darkness (2013). Now, Shatner got a reputation for over-acting and all, but he did bring this character to life. Pine said he avoided trying to mimic Shatner in any way acting-wise, as he felt it would come off as a bad impression.
Following Kirk, naturally, comes his second-in-command, Commander Spock. Originally portrayed by Leonard Nimoy (above, left) in both the Original Series (he is the only character to appear in every episode), the first six movies, and having an appearance in Star Trek: Next Generation (1987-1994). Spock is more or less the most iconic character of the original series, if not the entire franchise (I know, that is debatable, but for me he is). In the 2009 movie as well as its sequel Into Darkness, the character Spock returned, this time portrayed by Zachery Quinto (above, right). Quinto has many similar features like Nimoy, but the true test is the fact that he actually gets to share screen time not once, but twice with Nimoy in both films that he (Quinto) is in.
The role of the Doctor (no not that Doctor) was brought to life by DeForest Kelly (above, right) in the original series and the first several movies. As the voice of sarcasm, he often had more of the humorous lines. Following the end of his Star Trek run in the movies, Kelly also appeared as Dr. "Bones" McCoy in the pilot episode of Next Generation. In 2009, he was portrayed by Karl Urban (above, left), who was one of the two actors I had seen prior to 2009, as he played Eomer in Lord of the Rings (2002/2003).
Uhura in the original series and first several films was portrayed by Nichelle Nichols (above, left). Her role in the series was an important one at the time, not as much to the show as it was to the community at the time. Her role avoided many of the black woman stereotypes of the time. In the newer films, she is portrayed by Zoe Saldana (above, right), who was the other actor who I had seen prior to seeing Star Trek, as she played the role of Anna Maria in Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003).
Sulu with his amazingly smooth voice was brought to life in the original series and films by George Takei (above, left). Even though he was Japanese, Sulu, according to Takei, was meant to represent all of the Asians. Some fans were either up in arms or confused that Sulu in the newer films is portrayed by Korean actor John Cho (above, right). Even with the whole "alternate reality" in the newer films, Sulu changes nationality all together.
Montgomery Scott, best known by the name "Scotty", was originally portrayed by James Doohan (pictured above, right). Even though he didn't appear in every episode, the phrase "Beam me up, Scotty" is well known, even outside of Star Trek. Doohan was one of three Original Series actors to appear in seven films out of the 10 original cast films (which do include Next Generation characters). More recently, Scotty is portrayed by Simon Pegg (above, left).
Chekov, played by Walter Keonig (above, left), was the last member of the regular cast of the Original Series and was not added in until the second season, where he temporarily replaced Sulu while George Takei had other commitments. Upon his return to the show part way through season two, Takei was unhappy that there was a "replacement" character in his place and was prepared to hate Keonig. However, the two of them ended up becoming best friends. In the new films, Chekov is played by Anton Yelchin (above, right). Yelchin has one thing going for him that Keonig did not have, and that is the fact that Yelchin is actually Russian, whereas Keonig was American. Keonig's misuse of the sound of the letter "W" for "V" sounds (which is not really a trait for a Russian accent) was kept in the newer films, even though Yelchin is Russian.
So here's the big question: Which one of these new actors looks the most like their Original Series predecessor? For me personally, I'd say it's Spock. While he may not be an exact match (that would be both impossible and highly illogical), the fact that he can stand up opposite Leonard Nimoy and pull it off makes him an obvious choice. What do you think? Let me know in the comments!
The other day, I sat down and shot an interview about my YouTube series, Chronicles of the Chronicler. This is a series of episodic action-adventure themed stop-motion shorts that I've been making since 2010. They have become the most viewed videos on my YouTube channel, and been a learning experience for me in many ways. In this set of seven videos, I reflect on making the series and becoming a respected BioTuber (YouTuber who makes Bionicle-themed videos) without the intention of doing so.
The time has come again for another Trailer for the next film in The Hobbit trilogy, and with that comes another Trailer Review from me! I don't know about anyone else, but this is the movie coming out this year that I have been looking forward to the most. With the success of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey last year, I have high expectations for its follow-up, The Desolation of Smaug. Peter Jackson continues to deliver good-looking footage based on the book by beloved author, J.R.R. Tolkien. Just like in my Trailer Review of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, there WILL be spoilers in this review, since the movie is based on a book and the review is geared towards those who have read said book.
Firstly, here is the trailer:
There's a lot packed into just two and a half minutes. As opposed to the teaser for the previous film, which was mainly devoted to introducing the dwarves, this does less about who the main characters are... unless you're Legolas. Anyways, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is an upcoming action-adventure fantasy sequel film based on the book "The Hobbit" coming to theaters December 13, 2013. Sequel to The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, it is the continuing adventures of title character Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit of the Shire, as he journeys with a company of dwarves to the Lonely Mountain to reclaim their homeland and treasure from the evil dragon, Smaug. Starring Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, and Benedict Cumberbatch.
The Trailer starts out with a shot of The Lonely Mountain. As I brightened the pictures on my computer, I noticed a boat sailing towards it that I had missed while watching the trailer the first five or six times. As we see this, we hear a voice (possibly Thranduil?) asking the question, "Where does your journey end?"
We are then treated to shots of Erebor up close, and we see the dwarves climbing a statue, which I assume to be the path to the hidden door. Also, like I said above, when I brightened the images, I noticed even more. In this case, I see that at least one dwarf isn't climbing up on the axe like the rest. I think it's Bombur, which makes sense.
We see the ruined city of Dale, which we saw destroyed in the prologue of the previous film.
Here we have a shot of what I strongly believe to be the elf king's hall of Mirkwood. I am very intrigued and impressed by this image. The set bares strong resemblance to both Rivendell and Lorien, the other two elven realms we've seen in LOTR.
It is then we finally get a look at Thranduil, the elven king and father of everyone's favorite elf, Legolas. Admittedly we saw Thranduil briefly in An Unexpected Journey, but we didn't really get fully introduced to him.
And of course, one of The Hobbit's more memorable scenes is the barrel scene where the dwarves escape the elf king's halls by way of hiding in barrels. Depicted above is Bofur in a barrel.
Another image we see is Bilbo at the treetops of Mirkwood, seeing the blue butterflies. It is a moment for Bilbo, as at that point in the story, he and the dwarves have been lost in the forest for several days.
We get to see more barrel shots. Here is Dwalin, half out of his barrel going down a small fall.
Here's where the first added thing that I've notice comes along. It seems as though the elves are racing after and shooting at the dwarves. This did not happen in the book, but I guess it adds suspense.
And here is Mirkwood. A once green, lush forest, no overrun by darkness. We see Bilbo and company over to the right.
Oh hey, look. Legolas is in this movie. This doesn't bother me exactly, even though he was not in the book, because Legolas is the son of the king Thranduil, and given elves' immortality, it is plausible that Legolas could be there. I also see they have his eyes blue. They didn't do a good job keeping them blue in LOTR.
This one I had to think about. Once I realized what it is, I felt stupid. The Dwarves are in Beorn's house, and it seems one of the giant bears is trying to get in.
...And then there's this chick... the one that I'm sure had a lot of Tolkien fans scratching their heads and going "...huh???" I did some research, and found out that she is an original character to this movie named Tauriel. Not sure how I feel about this move. Jackson didn't add any original main characters to LOTR, and I'm assuming she's a main character if they are showing her THIS much in the trailer, and believe me, she's in it a lot more. I also learned that Jackson and fellow writers Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh added her because they "felt they needed a strong female character in the series". ...So is Tauriel Peter Jackson's answer to The Hunger Games' Katniss Everdeen?
Yep. She's a Katniss R.O. Seems legit.
The trailer treats us to a shot of the lake town, where the Dwarves stay and rest before taking the final trek to the Lonely Mountain.
And we're back to Tauriel and Legolas. This part confuses me a little bit. Is she also going to be a love interest for Legolas? Two characters who aren't in the book having their own little subplot? I smell some story padding.
Now, finally, we get a glimpse of the Dwarven treasure. Bilbo is sliding down on it, and that's sure to set off Smaug's OCD. (Dragons know their treasure to an ounce, according to the book).
...And we're back to Dul Guldur, (forgive me if that is misspelled). This is something I knew was coming. I knew that even back as far as when the The Hobbit was being made into just two movies (and even then I was shaking my head that it was two movies). I knew that they would explore what Gandalf was doing while he was away from the dwarves.
...Speaking of Gandalf, here's basically our only shot of Gandalf. I know he's in other shots, but this is pretty much the only shot he's in that he's actually doing something (I.E. says one line).
It also appears as though the non-cannon orcs are going to attack the elves. Mr. Voldem-orc here is still chasing Thorin and Co. for revenge.
After that tangent of things not in the book, we are brought back to the actual story, and this shot made me excited. The trailer teases us with the giant spiders by giving us just enough of a look at one.
We are also treated with our first look at Bard. I'll be perfectly honest... when I first saw him, I literally thought I was looking at Orlando Bloom in Pirates of the Caribbean. He looks A LOT like Will Turner.
The final collection of action clips in the trailer give me a theory. This shot depicts Legolas and Tauriel fighting orcs (in day light, no less *facepalm*) on what I believe to be the outskirts of the forest. Since we already saw the elves attacking the dwarves in the barrels in the river, perhaps how the dwarves get away involves the orcs attacking while the elves are attacking, and the elves fight off the orcs while Thorin and Co. slip away.
As the trailer closes, my favorite dwarf, Balin, delivers the most dramatic line of the trailer in response to an off-screen dwarf asking "was that an earthquake?": "That, my lad... was a dragon."
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. BUT! Before the trailer ends, there is one last major teaser:
THE DRAGON!!!! Now THAT is a great way to end a trailer, especially since they've been teasing dragon since the first film. I lightened the image up a bit and we get to see a bit more detail of Smaug.
December 13. Another contender for end-of-the-year blockbusters. A a blockbuster it shall be! Overall, I liked this trailer a lot, but was confused a bit by the middle where they focus on Legolas and Not-Katniss Everdeen. But I'm still excited and I still going to see it. Until then, we've been there, and we will go back again when The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is released.
We all know and love The Beatles (and if you don't, get the heck off my blog! just kiddin you don't have to read this), they are considered to be the greatest band of all time. We all know the iconic songs, the iconic looks, and the iconic images of their album covers. You know what's even more awesome? The music video for the 1995 single "Free As A Bird", where there are numerous Beatles references to keep even the most avid of Beatles fans on their toes!
The song itself is considered to be the second-to-last Beatles song ever, as it was released with the Beatles Anthology along with another single "Real Love". Both of these songs, however, technically aren't Beatles songs. As the band had broken up after "Abbey Road" (because "Abbey Road" was recorded AFTER "Let it Be", even though it was released first.), these two songs were simply demos by John Lennon during his solo career. Tragically, Lennon was murdered in 1980. And yet, these two tracks were released in the mid 90s? While recording the Beatles Anthology, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr got together with John's wife Yoko Ono and got a hold of these demos that John had never finished. The remaining Beatles took them and finished them together, creating the final two Beatles songs ever.
The music video for "Free As A Bird" itself is one of the most engaging music videos I've ever seen, and like I said above, there are numerous references to Beatles songs that are enjoyable to look for. Here is the link to the video itself:
It starts right off the bat. Here's what I saw in the video in order:
OLD BROWN SHOE - Next to the child portrait of John (the last one they show of the boy wearing a hat) appears to be a little shoe. This could be a reference to the "Let it Be" single "Old Brown Shoe".
RAIN - People are shown walking in the rain, and none of them have umbrellas or "don't mind" the rain. It's also worth noting that video footage taken from the Penny Lane music video is used here.
BABY'S IN BLACK - In the Cavern Club, a woman who seems to be wearing a black veil is seen in the crowd.
MAXWELL'S SILVER HAMMER - Honestly, I've never actually seen this one, but I've been told by multiple sources that as the video leaves the Cavern Club, there is a store sign that says "Maxwell's Silver Hammers" on it.
STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER - A sign on a gate says "Strawberry Field". It's not "Fields", but still the reference is obvious.
I AM THE WALRUS - A van with the company title "EGG Co."
PENNY LANE - A nurse is selling poppies from a tray, a direct line from the song.
POLYTHENE PAM - A Woman wearing a leather jacket comes out of a store. I'm told it's supposed to be Polythene Pam, but it went over my head the first several times.
HELP! - Polythene Pam passes by a help wanted sign that simply says "HELP!"
WHY DON'T WE DO IT IN THE ROAD - John and Yoko are seen making out in a car.
BIRTHDAY - A bakery has a birthday cake in their front window.
WHEN I'M SIXTY-FOUR - The birthday cake has the number six on the left side, and the number four on the right.
IT'S ALL TOO MUCH - I may be reading into this too much, but there is a line in "It's All Too Much" that goes "All the world is birthday cake/ So take a piece but not too much".
DOCTOR ROBERT - A sign on a wall that George is shown walking up to says "Dr. Robert"
A DAY IN THE LIFE - A car wreck is shown. Could also be a reference to "Revolution 9", as a car crash is supposedly heard in somewhere in that track.
I AM THE WALRUS - Police are standing in a row next to the car crash.
HELTER SKELTER - A large carnival slide (a Helter Skelter) is shown.
BEING FOR THE BENEFIT OF MR. KITE! A kite is seen flying in the sky.
SHE CAME IN THROUGH THE BATHROOM WINDOW - A woman is briefly seen going into a house through a window.
PIGGIES - Children running around wearing pig masks.
LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS - Large yellow flowers (though probably not cellophane and none are green) are towering over a fence and above the children's heads.
HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN - This one goes by so fast, if you blink you will miss it, but as the video zooms into a window, you can briefly seen a lizard on it ("...like a lizard on a window pane")
PAPERBACK WRITER - A guy at a typewriter with paperback books around him.
ONE AFTER 909 - The clock behind the Paperback Writer guy is at 9:10
SAVOY TRUFFLES - A box of truffles is on a coffee table (barely noticeable) next to some green apples, which are an obvious reference to Apple Records.
FIXING A HOLE - A man on a roof is fixing a hole.
YELLOW SUBMARINE - A Blue Meanie pops out of the hole.
HEY BULLDOG - A person is walking a dog (possibly a pit bull dog?) I might be wrong on this one.
LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS - A taxi that seems to be covered in newspaper print drives up to a house.
REVOLUTION - Two people are carrying a portrait of Chairman Mao across the street.
MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR - The bus can be seen passing by in the background.
YELLOW SUBMARINE - The Blue Meanie pops out of a manhole again.
BUNGALOW BILL - A man in safari attire and carrying a gun walks by, followed by an elephant.
SGT. PEPPER - Numerous people in a banquet hall (?) are people seen on the album cover. Also, the drum is shown prominently.
HERE COMES THE SUN - The video goes up suddenly and the sun blots out the video temporarily.
ELEANOR RIGBY - A tombstone is shown with the name Eleanor Rigby, as a priest walks away.
MARTHA MY DEAR - Paul McCartney's dog (Martha, after whom the song was named) runs across the graveyard.
THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD - A long and winding road is shown in the distance.
THE FOOL ON THE HILL - Paul McCartney is shown dancing (directly from the scene in "Magical Mystery Tour").
SHE'S LEAVING HOME - A young lady with a suitcase walking alone down the road.
LOVELY RITA - A Meter Maid is seen walking down Abbey Road.
There may be a ton more, and I dealt mainly with just the song lyric references. There are other references to The Beatles as persons themselves, such as an old man with a sitar (a reference to George and his interest in Indian culture). All in all, a really awesome video. An oldie nowadays, but always a goodie. I mean, in the words of Paul McCartney "It's the Bloody Beatles!"
Here are five more Best of the Worst mistakes made in movies!
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
The movie's villain, Khan Noonien Singh, was first introduced into Star Trek lore in the Original Series episode Space Seed. At the beginning of this film, he recognizes Chekov and says he "never forgets a face". However, Space Seed was a season one episode, and Checov was not introduced into the series until season two, so Khan should not have known Chekov at all.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
When Harry and Hermione go back in time and witness events earlier in the movie, nearly every single event takes a ridiculously longer amount of time the second time through than they did the first time. Some events happen differently all together. It's not like they are changing the past, because the way time travel works in the Harry Potter world cannot change the past, anything they do the second time was done the first time, just unbeknownst to them.
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (2007)
Do I even need to say? Forgive me, I do all these mistakes from memory and I haven't seen National Treasure 2 in years. But I do remember that if you actually sat down and did the math, you'd notice that next to NONE of the clues add up. Some of them would have had to have been made before the next clue could have even existed. After the first movie being such a great movie, the whole sequel itself was one big mistake anyway.
The Hunger Games (2012)
At the end of the film when Katniss, Peeta, and Cato are surrounded by the Muttations ontop of the cornucopia, Katniss only has one arrow that she shoots Cato in the hand with. However, when she mercy-kills Cato from the Mutts, she suddenly has another arrow.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
I can probably list one mistake from this movie in every single Best of the Worst post (and probably will. As much as I love the Indiana Jones movies, I can't deny that this film is full of mistakes). This movie is riddled with mistakes, but one of the most aggravating to me is the amount of unsynchronized audio clips. So many lines of dialogue in the movie don't match up to the actors' lip movements. This happens throughout the entire film. Who edited this film? Michal Khan...
