The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Bring on Mockingjay.
That is all I can say after watching The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
We rejoin Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) after their success in the 74th Hunger Games - which we saw in the first film.
They are set to embark on a "Victory Tour", visiting the 12 districts to pay homage to those who fell (were killed) during the Hunger Games, and reaffirm the Capital's strength over the Districts. It is a ploy designed to keep the general population loyal to President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and quash any thought of an uprising.
A classic love triangle, as seems to be the common theme of young adult novels that make the silver screen, guides us through the film as Everdeen struggles through her emotions for Mellark - who she fell for in the Arena to help both survive - and fellow District 12-native and longtime love Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth).
The triangle is one of my chief criticisms of the film, but only because of its popularity in modern cinema. A lot of recent films directed at this target audience - City of Bones and the Twilight series are two off the top of my head - tend to have the triangle thrown in. Whether it is for extra drama, more character conflict or more material to play with I don't know.
Kudos must go to Lawrence, Hutcherson and Hemsworth for making it at least a little believable, but there is no doubting it is getting stale - for me anyway.
Snow's rule is akin to historically evil bad guys - your Hitlers and Stalins - with his attempt to thwart and quash "rebellion" the source of much contempt from the film's characters. Snow his driven by greed and his quest for absolute power, hosting large, lavish and ultimately expensive parties and events while much of the population suffers in poverty-like conditions. As is mentioned directly through dialogue in the film and visually by the set dressing, Snow and the wealthy few that live in the Capital live to excess. They even have a beverage is designed to be drunk only when you are full - "so you can keep on eating!".
Woody Harrelson continues his run of silver screen success (Hunger Games, Now You See Me, Zombieland) as Haymitch Abernathy, a former winner of the Games from District 12, who also acts as a mentor to Katniss and Peeta. He plays a drunk uncle type character: wise from his years of experience and always trying to look out for the best courses of action for Katniss and Peeta, but hitting the sauce for more than half of his screen time.
If you have read Suzanne Collins' trilogy you should already have a fair idea as to what happens, but there's no need to feel alienated if you haven't.
The first installment was produced in such a way that you do not need to have read them - sure there are always parts of the novel that are a thousand times better than the film but The Hunger Games is one instance where the differences do not matter too much.
It is a bit lengthy at 146 minutes, but it is entertaining enough for the time to fly by.
Catching Fire is one of the rare instance where the sequel is as good, if not better, than the original.

Jackass: Bad Grandpa

I remember watching the first Jackass movie when I was younger and loving the pranks and "stunts".
It was all so original and fresh - impossible for a teenage boy to resist.
Then came two more films, along with their television show, and the countless other copycats that hit the market and it all went stale.
I have not seen any of the Jackass crew since that first film, but I was reintroduced to a sample of their whacky antics thanks to Johnny Knoxville's Bad Grandpa.
Just as I was in awe of the mindless stupidity of the stunts in the first Jackass film, Bad Grandpa hit all the right notes for me.
What made it so great was there was actually a storyline/plot involved, and not just a collection of umpteen wild stunts just tacked onto each other.
The Jeff Tremaine-directed film weaved the stunts in and out of the storyline, making them relevant to what Knoxville - who you can barely recognise as 86 year old grandfather Irving Zisman - and sidekick Jackson Nicoll - the eight year old grandson Billy - experience.
 The plot? Zisman ends up stuck with Billy after Billy's mum Kimmie (Georgina Gates) is ordered back to prison for violating parole. While she is in jail, Billy is supposed to stay with his dad Chuck (Greg Harris), and Zisman is all too happy to be rid of his young sidekick. The news is broken very loudly, shockingly and ultimately humorously at Zisman's wife Ellie's (Catherine Keener) funeral.
Sounds horrible, would be quite bad if it happens in real life, executed brilliantly and hilariously on the big screen.
As Zisman and Billy travel across the United States on their way to Chuck's, they have a few ordinary stops along the way (food and drink shops, petrol stations, motels). Being a Knoxville movie with the Jackass brand attached to the title, you already know where the pranks will take place.
Knoxville's transition into an 86 year old sleazy grandpa is seamless - the makeup, the attitude, the dirty jokes and blatantly rude pick up attempts. He has got it all. But while he may be the star of this film, it is completely stolen by Nicholl as Billy.
Billy wandering around asking strangers to be his dad, Billy helping his dirty old grandpa hit on unsuspecting (and completely uninterested) women, Billy asking what whores are in an awkward conversation in the car - completely inappropriate and utterly hilarious. He's a cute little kid by appearance, and it's that innocence that adds so much more to everything he does on screen.
Knoxville's greatest moments come in a male strip joint (I'll leave that there) and later in a restaurant over an early morning meal.
But the very best of the movie comes at the very end. Kudos to Tremaine and his editing crew, as many comedies, in my experience, often reach their highest comical points about 50-70% of the way through the film. Other films even have their best gags cramped into the opening third, leaving the rest for the character's self discovery and "growing up". Bad Grandpa's best is saved for the very end, and it is young Billy again in the spotlight.
If you have seen the trailers, you know what I am talking about (more on that rant later). The whole beauty pageant section is an absolute blast. I don't want to say much about it, but the reactions of the audience - especially the judging panel - are amazing.
Bad Grandpa caters to a very specific sense of humour, so if you don't like being shocked, better to avoid this one. For everyone else, the laughs will keep coming for the whole 90 minutes.

Nathan Pettit to take on tough challenge of Lower Clarence Magpies in the NRRRL

Published: The Daily Examiner


A HORRIFIC knee injury not only ended Nathan Pettit's playing career in 2011 - it almost cost him his leg.

The newly appointed Lower Clarence Magpies coach was captain of the Moorebank Rams in the Sydney Combined Competition when he was injured, and spent the next two weeks in hospital.

"Surgeons actually talked about cutting the whole leg off," Pettit said.


Read more...

Grafton Ghosts sign pair for debut Group 2 season

Published: The Daily Examiner

HE HAS been one of the best players for the Lower Clarence Magpies for the past few seasons but for Ryan Binge, now it is a time for change.
Binge is the biggest new signing in the Ghosts' camp, and is champing at the bit to get onto the field.
"Different competition, different players and a new club - I'm looking forward to it," Binge said.

Read more...

Grafton Derby penned in for May 25

Published: The Daily Examiner

GRAFTONIANS will have to wait until May 25 for the next Grafton derby, according to a draft Group 2 draw.
The draw was released after Wednesday night's Group 2 meeting, where the existing clubs unanimously approved Grafton Ghosts and South Grafton Rebels' application to join the Coffs Harbour-based competition.
While it is only a draft and clubs are allowed to apply to Group 2 management for a change, both the Rebels and Ghosts have ruled out any opposition to the draw.

Read more...

Luke Douglas scores first international try for Scotland

Published: The Daily Examiner

Yamba's Luka Douglas scored his first international try to help lead Scotland to a 22-8 comeback win over USA.

Down 8-0 at half time in their Rugby League World Cup match at AJ Lee Stadium, Salford, Scotland rallied through tries to Brett Phillips and man of the match Brett Russell, which was converted by Danny Brough, to take a 10-8 lead in the 56th minute.

The Clarence Valley's time to shine came in the 62nd minute, when Douglas took a seemingly straight forward hit up from a penalty tap.

Read more...

The Counselor

I have never been in a more awkard situation than I was for the first five minutes (or so) of The Counselor.
The key to enjoying film is the experience of watching them in a darkened theatre on the big screen with a group of people. But there quite a few other things you should do before walking through the door.

The first lesson: make sure you watch or read at least one trailer or review before inviting two work colleagues, both in superior positions, to join you in enjoying a film.
If you're not careful, and the movie is The Counselor, the entire pre-title sequence is going to be one of the longest and most uncomfortable few minutes of the year.

A quick glance at the film's Wikipedia page reveals some controversy over "an explicit sex scene involving the film's female antagonist and a Ferrari windshield", another period of complete and utter uncomfortably you would be much better off avoiding.
And explicit is quite the understatement.

Another lesson: take note of the rating or classification.
They often leave a big (see obvious) clue about the film's content - which you would've seen if you saw a trailer. In the case of The Counselor, there is no better description - or warning - than "strong bloody violence".
Cormac McCarthy (The Road, No Country For Old Men) hits the spot by coming up with some interesting and unique exits for several characters, the most effective of which is known as the "bolito". The explanation of how the device works is superbly delivered by Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt in the role of Westray, an associate of Michael Fassbender's The Counselor.
We even get to see it put to use.

Fassbender leads the cast brilliantly as The Counselor, whose name we half-frustratingly half-awesomely never learn. I believe that's a masterstroke from McCarthy, director Ridley Scott and anybody else on the decision-making panel. While we connect slightly with the lead character as it's his life we've been thrust into, it also allows us to objectively judge him and his actions. This is an extremely good thing, especially given the consequences. Fassbender, who worked with Scott on science fiction hit Prometheus, will return to the big screen next year in the much anticpated X-Men: Days of Future Past (trailer here).
Javier Bardem (Skyfall) is solid as one of the more bizarre and "out there" characters in Reiner, an entrepreneur doubling as a drugs boss by night, while Penelope Cruz achieves similar success as Laura, The Counserlor's fiance. 
My biggest criticism is the casting of Cameron Diaz as Malkina, Reiner's girlfriend. The role is similar to that of Katey Sagal's Gemma Morrow in Sons of Anarchy: an attractive, smart woman in a relationship with a powerful figure who is actually more dangerous than their kingpin lovers. Diaz looked slightly ridiculous in the part, and I personally found it hard to believe in her character at all.

Sharknado

I have not had as much fun with a movie since Sharktopus, and before that Chicken Park.
Judging by the numbers, especially in the US, I wasn't alone.
In the vein of Roger Corman's filmic legacy (Sharktopus, Dinocroc, etc), Sharknado is a Syfy original movie obviously based on a doomsday combination of sharks and tornadoes (who would've thought?!?!). It pits Tara Reid and Ian Ziering in the lead roles, an estranged married couple who, like the rest of Los Angeles, are at risk of hilarious death via tornado-delivered sharks - tiger sharks, hammerheads - take your pick!
I don't even know what to write about this brilliance.
The screenplay is utterly hilarious, delivering such pearlers as "why is there a retirement homenext to an airport? Because old people can't hear" and "your son wants to go into a helicopter and drop a bomb into the tornado" - SPOILER ALERT - and it freakin works?!?!
There are a whole lot more ripper lines in there but you have to see it, or read a transcript.
Dodgy special effects only enhance the awesomeness and the comedic value.
Reusing identical footage time and time again has the same effect, as does the completely awkward interactions between the characters.
I can't even finish this. Do yourself a favour and enjoy it - it will be the best 86 minutes of your year.

Sharknado: 86 minutes (2013)