Just about halfway done with this series! Comment below on what you think of my picks for #6 and #5.
In case you missed #8 & #7, read them here.
In case you missed #9 & #10, read them here.
#6: The Hunger Games:
Catching Fire
In case you missed #8 & #7, read them here.
In case you missed #9 & #10, read them here.
#6: The Hunger Games:
Catching Fire
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
Director: Francis
Lawrence
Release Year: 2013
For awhile there, I couldn’t decide whether I liked Catching Fire more because of the actual film or because of Jennifer
Lawrence’s adorableness during the promotional interviews. But after some
reflection, I know that as much as I love (and often want to be) J-Law, Catching Fire is on this list because it’s a genuinely impressive movie.
In the hands of new director Francis Lawrence, the second
release of the Hunger Games trilogy is an upgrade from the first in every sense
of the word—greater loyalty to the book’s events; deeper layers to the characters
(ie. Effie, whose genuine compassion for her tributes proves that she’s not
just a vapid, face-painted priss); increased screen time for Gale, and thanks
to an astronomical budget, exponentially more convincing special effects and
set design. The movie looks and sounds exactly
the way I envisioned it while reading the book, from the clocklike setup
of the arena to Katniss’s spectacular mockingjay dress.
Though relieved of the burden that accompanies any first
franchise film to effectively set the stage for the remaining installments,
Lawrence rises to the equally daunting challenge of living up to, and even
transcending, the expectations set by his predecessor. He builds a graveness
and urgency that reminds us that there’s more to the story than a dystopian
adolescent love triangle. Now, more than ever, it’s about an impending rebellion
against an oppressive system, with potentially disastrous effects. With the narrative stakes set this high, I
can’t wait for part three.
#5: Like Father Like Son
Cast: Masaharu Fukuyama, Machiko Ono, Yoko Maki, Lily Franky
Director: Kore-Eda
Hirokazu
Release Year: 2013
The last time I watched a Kore-eda film (2004’s Nobody
Knows), I wanted to crawl into bed with the covers over my head and re-emerge
only a solid month later. The true story of four children abandoned by
their single mother is easily one of the most depressing movies I’d ever seen.
It was therefore with slight trepidation that I approached the director’s
newest tale: two families of varying social standing who, upon discovering that
their 6 year old boys were accidentally switched at birth, must now decide
whether to swap their unintentionally adopted sons for their biological ones.
But while Nobody Knows
is the cinematic equivalent of listening to Radiohead on loop, Like Father Like Son is a tearjerker that also manages to be
uplifting. A beautiful, restrained and tender portrait of parenthood's complexities,
Kore-eda gently explores the familiar nature-versus-nurture motif, primarily
through the paternal characters: one affluent father whose love for his son is
overshadowed by his strict standards and workaholic tendencies, another
working-class dad who compensates for his modest means by making family time a
priority. As each wrestles with the prospect of losing the son they have
invested so much in, a parallel journey of introspection subtly ensues for one
of the men in particular, giving rise to questions and revelations about what
familial bonds really mean.
For those who perceive relationships between Japanese
parents and children to be constrained and unexpressive, this movie serves as a
reassuring antidote to their misconception. The interactions between and within
the families are playful, empathetic, and sensitive. Overflowing with warmth
and compassion, Like Father Like Son will
make your heart ache and sing at the same time.
