The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) - ★★½

Director: Francis Lawrence
Writers: Simon Beaufoy, Michael Arndt (Screenplay), Suzanne Collins (Novel)
Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Sam Claflin, Donald Sutherland, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Jena Malone, Liam Hemsworth,  Philip Seymour Hoffman,  Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci

If one word was to sum up my experience of watching Catching Fire, it would have to be 'dull.' It's filled with very slow, long, tedious exercises in plot development. I didn't love the book, but the action was much more exciting on paper than on film. There were a few things I really liked about the movie. The costumes throughout the film are astonishingly beautiful, and the performances by Donald Sutherland and Elizabeth Banks were both highlights for me. But whenever the film gained a bit of excitement and momentum, it was taken down a peg by unconvincing scenes of romance and urgency.

Fallen (1998) - ★★★

Director: Gregory Hoblit
Writers: Nicholas Kazan
Stars: Denzel Washington, John Goodman, Donald Sutherland, Embeth Davidtz, James Gandolfini, Elias Koteas

Fallen is a decent thriller with a good story and great actors. It could have been a great movie, considering the material there was to work with. Unfortunately, it comes across a little too corny and not urgent enough, which made me lose interest in the characters and their outcome. However, there were great parts in the movie and I enjoyed myself some of the time. It gets a solid 3 Stars from me.

Pride and Prejudice (2005) - ★★★★★

Director: Joe Wright
Writers: Jane Austen (novel), Deborah Moggach (screenplay)
Stars: Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Rosamund Pike, Donald Sutherland, Brenda Blethyn, Simon Woods, Judi Dench

Joe Wright's Pride and Prejudice is stunning in every way imaginable. The casting is nothing short of perfection, the cinematography is breathtaking, the music is absolutely beautiful, and the story entails one of the greatest romances of all time. The romance of Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley) and Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen).

Based on Jane Austen's novel of the same name, Pride and Prejudice displays love and life during the Georgian era in England. The family's future happiness and security is dependent on the five Bennet sisters making good marriages.  Mrs. Bennet (Brenda Blethyn) wants nothing more than to have her five daughters be married before her husband Mr. Bennet (Donald Sutherland) dies, for their home and belongings would pass to the male next in line to inherit them. When a rich gentleman, Mr. Bingley (Simon Woods) spends the summer in the country, he falls for Jane (Rosamund Pike), the beautiful Bennet sister. He brings with him his sister, and the proud yet dashing Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy are very similar in personality, thus clashing in a story filled with misjudgements and love. This is a story that shows the pressure that women in the Georgian era were under to get married, with gossip, scandals and class determining the security of their future.

The characters of Pride and Prejudice immediatley capture your interest, with their many different personalities and problems clashing into a very entertaining story. Not only are the leads perfect for the roles, but the supporting cast is absolutely brilliant. I loved watching their stories unfurl, mainly due to the magnificent performances on all accounts, as well as the witty and refreshing dialogue. Knightley truly gave her greatest performance as Elizabeth, who is extremely clever and is constantly in deep thought. She really dictated how you felt during the film. When she was happy, I was happy. Her smile is infectious as well as her sadness. Credit goes to both her acting ability and the story. The same compliments go for Matthew Macfadyen, who played the abrupt, rude and anti-social Mr. Darcy so well. There was one scene in which he told Elizabeth "You have bewitched me body and soul," that literally had me swooning, for the ferocity in his eyes during that scene burned right through the screen.

The whole film flowed so effortlessly it reminded me of Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility. I could not believe the beauty in the cinematography. The stunning locations that were shot just seemed so unreal. I found all the scenes inbetween the dialogue and the story just as riveting, which is a credit to the masterful direction of cinematography by Ronin Osin. It also has one of the greatest soundtracks I've ever heard by composer Dario Marianelli, with classical music making each scene so much more beautiful. The costume design by Jacqueline Durrin, combined with the amazing dance choreography, set the mood of the era so well that it can be compared to the masterful scenes from Gone With The Wind.

I cannot praise this film enough. All I can say is that this is a classic story that I love to death. With perfect casting, story, cinematography, music, costume, and choreography, there's no doubt in my mind that Pride and Prejudice is one of the greatest films of all time.

The Hunger Games (2012) - ★★★

Just a note; before I watched this movie I read the book myself and found it very entertaining. 

Director: Gary Ross
Writers: Gary Ross (screenplay), Suzanne Collins (novels)
Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Donald Sutherland, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Stanley Tucci, Wes Bentley

Considering all the 'Twilight-esque' fan hype that has been building over The Hunger Games, truth be told I wasn't expecting anything great. My expectations were exceeded, (not for the first time), because this film actually lived up to the quality of the book and followed the story almost perfectly.

Set in an unspecified future, the world we are told of is made up of twelve districts which are under the rule of the Capitol. In the past, an uprising against The Capitol took place in which The Capitol won. To remind civilians that they are powerless against what can be seen as a dictatorship by President Snow, an annual Hunger Games is held. One male and female adolescent are given from each district as tribute to fight to the death with each other where only one can survive.    

Katniss Everdeen is a plain-faced and strong character which makes her instantly likable as she is not one of those typical beautiful figures, yet has beauty in different aspects of her personality. She is the rock of her family, the provider after the death of her father. She has to take care of them in the impoverish District 12, a coal mining 3rd world society. When her little sister Primrose is announced as the next competitor in the Hunger Games, she volunteers as tribute in an emotion packed scene. The boy that also had to compete in the games is Peeta Mellark, an honest and kind-hearted person that has a history with Katniss. The story revolves around whether Peeta and Katniss can survive The Hunger Games and if they've truly developed feelings for each other. The most disappointing thing about this movie was the anti-climatic fighting between the tributes in the film whereas in the book it was thrilling. Josh Hutcherson looked and sounded the part of Peeta, yet he came across weaker than the character in the book which also took away from the film. Jennifer Lawrence portrayed Katniss perfectly. She captured the look, the personality and everything that she should of been which was a great touch.

Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz and Elizabeth Banks were brilliantly cast in this film as the mentors of the two through playing the characters the way they should be. There were gut-wrenching death scenes and nerve-wracking close calls throughout The Hunger Games, but I cannot call it an 'epic' due to the lack of brilliant fighting scenes that would have enhanced this film greatly. The Hunger Games is a remarkable film that I will not easily forget. Through following the events in the book perfectly and using brilliant actors, I was not disappointed but thrilled once I left the theatre. I highly recommend this film for anyone that loves a good sci-fi flick.