Joy to watch

Another JLaw stunner. Could have been called Determination. Theatrics do not detract from magnitude of core achievement of the one and only Joy (Jennifer Lawrence), succeeding against all odds with bringing the most basic of inventions to market, against all the retrograde forces of doubting family and marketeers, and ruthless competition in the course of business. A must-watch

16/20

Katniss Marketing

In the buildup to the last installment, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) is literally paraded by the rebel factions hidden in District 13. Led by President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore), Katniss becomes a thoroughly marketed symbol of hope for all the Districts breaking out in rebellion, with the highlight being a particularly rousing speech in District 8 post the bombing of a hospital. In the backdrop plays out the impending confrontation of Katniss with President Snow (Donald Sutherland), and the release of her boyfriend Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) with some complicated side-effects. Clearly a bridge-ing movie, The Hunger Games – Mockingjay – Part 1 preserves continuity, but has little new to offer

13.5/20

Mutant Woes

X-Men - Days of Future Past - is another prequel to a continuum of X Men movies that I have long lost track of. This one is about Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) being sent to the past (1973, to be precise), to save mutant-kind from the scourge of the Sentinels - robots that have been created by the Trask group to find and exterminate mutants. A week down the line, I vaguely remember it as a mildly watchable movie but little else besides - a sign that this franchise, like several others, is for the diehard fan beyond a point

11/20

Girl on Fire

If you ignore the sheer murder of elements of ancient history – the pomp and splendor of the gladiatorial arena adorned by tributes in lycra, the hackneyed morality tale meets teen romance storyline, and the hangover of a tepid first part, The Hunger Games – Catching Fire is actually a (gasp!) taut well-narrated story. Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) find themselves reluctant ambassadors for the Capital and President Snow (Donald Sutherland), and their ambivalence and potential to cause disruption is well-noted. Enter the latest edition of the games, and this time it is the 75^th edition and a kill-or-be-killed across previous winners. What the movie obviously lacks in a meaningful storyline, it makes up in some pretty cutting edge cinematography. Worth a watch and will not test your patience at all

14/20

No Hunger

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) offers herself as a tribute to save her sister Primrose (Willow Shields) - and the Girl on Fire makes up in spunk what she lacks in battle training. As her personality manages to curry favor - albeit grudging - with Sponsors - Katniss steps into The Hunger Games - well rated, but perhaps with not the best of odds. Was skeptical at entry about a film adaptation of a teen novel, but was a good watch till the interval, i.e., the anticipatory build-up to the games. Not so the Hunger Games themselves. Contrived and brutal, and not quite Death Race, the movie version is a decent adaptation of a story about children slaughtering each other – and that, unfortunately, in the end reckoning, is rather tasteless

10/20

The Simple Class

After the tightly scripted introduction to Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) in 2009, the X men franchise proceeds to provide a smorgsabord account of the history of several key characters. Set in the 1940 – 1960’s cusp, X Men – First Class is inevitably intertwined with several key (mostly American) historical events of its time. The whole routine of the contemplative Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lensherr/ Magneto (Michael Fassbender) being shaped by their experiences is rather hackneyed, and the easy re-rendition of historical facts threatens to sink this installment into the Marvel comics rather than Marvel graphic novels-genre. But there is enough going for the movie by way of straight entertainment. The highly adaptive prequel, like some of this mutant cast, swings between death camps and Nazi hunts, and the Oxford life and missile crises. Touching? No. Noir? Definitely not. This is the cookie cutter entertainer without the hint of a shade of grey. And previous installments have done enough for this one to be a natural commercial hit. All said, I preferred Wolverine

12/20