MOVIE REVIEW: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 2

With all honesty, this writer has never been a fan of "The Hunger Games." Dystopian worlds and brassy films about them are always fascinating, but kids-killing-kids-for-sport isn't a cup of tea fitting of endorsement. It is easy to be intrigued but admittedly hard to be entertained by such a thing. With the profit-milking complete from "Part 1" last November, "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 2" ties together its loose ends with reasonable quality. To this critic, the series has always come down to your tolerance of overwrought melodrama, your acceptance of illogical hang-ups, and your stomach for grim fictionalized massacre with a high body count being pushed on kids. It's hard to be a fan of that bleakness.

2015, 3 STARS, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanNovember 18, 2015AMC River East 21The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 2, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 1, The Hunger Games, Jennifer Lawrence, Francis Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson, Sam Clafin, Jena Malone, Stef Dawson, Willow Shields, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Katniss Everdeen, Gale Hawthorne, Peeta Mallark, Natalie Dormer, Mahershala Ali, President Snow, Stanley Tuci, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Haymitch Abernathy, Ellie Trinket, I Am Legend, Peter Jackson, Movie trilogies, Movie franchise, life lessons from film, life lessons from movies, life lessons from films, movie review, movie commentary, film review, film commentary, 2015, 2015 Holiday Movies, 2015 Holiday Movie Preview, Don Shanahan, Donald Shanahan, Every Movie Has a LessonComment

MOVIE REVIEW: A Most Wanted Man

This is still a bit of a tough sell. I think there's a large audience that wants explosions and sexiness with their spy thrillers. Some are going to call all of this quiet work boring and maybe even somber, matching some of the mainstream thoughts on other John le Carre film adaptations like "The Tailor of Panama," "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," "The Constant Gardner," and "The Russia House." Exciting or not, the man writes incredibly good thrillers. I see past the need for action and love that the devil is in the details. The slow burn factor works in "A Most Wanted Man" with compelling and steadily increasing story developments that maintain your investment.