FILM: Frozen
Voiceovers: Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Santino Fontana, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad and Alan Tudyk
DIRECTORs: Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee
When the vivacious little sister Anna (Kristen Bell) pesters her older sister Elsa (Idina Menzel), “The sky is awake, so am I, so, I need to play”, you realise that there is more to just the sisterly bonding.
Frozen is Disney’s take on Hans Christian Andersen’s, fairy tale, “The Snow Queen”, set in distant Arendale. It is a captivating, emotionally tugging animated story of two princesses, Elsa and Anna.
One fine day, while playing, Elsa accidentally strikes Anna and she freezes.
Not knowing how to cure the little one, the king rushes his daughter to a wise old troll king who tells him that princess Elsa is “cursed or blessed” with a ‘Midas touch’ like phenomenon, but instead of gold, her touch or strong emotions could freeze everything she touches.
The best way to avoid a similar situation would be to “keep her powers hidden from everyone including Anna”.
And the wise troll further advises Elsa, “Don’t feel and don’t show your emotions. Fear will be your enemy.”
So, Elsa locks herself in a room to protect Anna from the dangers of her association. And as years pass on, Anna grows up to be a lonely princess craving for love and her sister’s company.
On Elsa’s coronation day, while Anna is a little nervous but overjoyed to see her sister, Elsa remains aloof with gloves on her hands.
But Anna’s sudden decision to marry Prince Hans (Santino Fontana) of the Southern Isles triggers Elsa’s ire and this time she unintentionally freezes her entire kingdom by plunging it into a prolonged winter.
Scared, frightened and not knowing how to reverse the situation, Elsa goes into a self-imposed exile to a remote mountain peak, where she lives in an icy castle.
What follows is Anna’s pursuit to get her sister back. She does this with the help of Kristoff, a commoner selling ice, Sven, Kristoff’s high-spirited pet reindeer and Olaf, the carrot-nosed snowman whose body can be dismantled and rearranged.
The budgeted humour comes in the form of the Duke of Weselton (Alan Tudyk) and there is more drama and action.
Like a true classic fairytale, “Frozen” has elements of sunshine, fun, romance and tragedy. Being a musical, every element is connected with a number of songs, each better than the other.
“Do you want to build a snowman,” is infectious. And your heart does go out to Princess Anna when she sings, “For the first time, in forever” or “Love is an open door”. The other powerful number is “Let it go”.
The production design is worth a mention, especially the majestic mountaintop ice castle, which is particularly exquisite with its glittering details and sharp icy shards.
The co-directors, Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee have taken pains to see that every frame is picture perfect.
The animation style that they have used is the hand-drawn computer generated hybrid image technique. It complements the fanciful and cartoonish nature of the setting, making the scenery a lovely collage of sharp colours.
The characters too have a human, life-like quality that will appeal to the viewers.
For a change, “Frozen”, with its 3D effects has a ‘cool’ effect on you. (IANS)
FILM: Hunger Games: Catching Fire
CAST: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Donald Sutherland,
Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amanda Plummer
DIRECTOR: Francis Lawrence
The latest installment of the franchise created from Suzanne Collins’s young adult dystopian trilogy, The Hunger Games, Catching Fire is even more gut-wrenching, sleeker with raw emotions and engrossing than its predecessor, which released in 2012.
Yet, it lacks the elements to sustain itself as an appealing entertainer.
The film begins on a note of suspense, with Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) killing a man, obviously by mistake and she redeems herself with, “I did what I did, to survive.” This lays the foundation of the film’s premise.
But over the next few scenes, the narration gets muddled with time and space not well established. You might survive this hurdle if you have read the book; the film does not help you sort this issue.
Over a few minutes of patient and concentrated viewing to figure out the tale, you realise that “…Catching Fire’ picks up soon after the events of the first film.
After their rule-bending victory in the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) of District 12 are forced to embark on a publicity tour. But instead of being euphoric and jubilant, there is a fine layer of tension brewing not only between the winners but also within the public.
The peace-keeping forces are having a tough time curbing the chaos caused by the rebels. A three-finger salute and graffiti on the city walls denotes the insurgence.
President Snow (Donald Sutherland) feels that Katniss’ “act of defiance and not act of love” caused the uprising. And the best way to control the situation is to eliminate her. But how?
So he, along with the new game-deviser, Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) decide that in the next edition which is the 75th anniversary, instead of having a normal Hunger Games with fresh recruits, this time the surviving victors of the previous games would compete with each other.
The narration slides into the 75th Hunger Games and the games continue the same as in the 74th – but with a few added twists. Surviving in an uninhabited, yet orchestrated island is the task of the game.
The chore has psychological impact on the players. “It is not about trust, it’s about staying alive.” So, killing is the best option. The film gets engrossing and the tasks get more challenging with poisonous fog, rampaging baboons and warm blood rain.
The film solely belongs to Jennifer Lawrence. She takes Katniss to a new level. Her performance in the first edition was good but in “…Catching Fire”, her involvement is definitely gradual and organic. Hutcherson, like in the previous edition, is wasted.
Jena Malone is great as Johanna the tough girl from District 7 with a care-a-damn razor sharp tongue. Unfortunately, Donald Sutherland as the antagonist does not leave an impact on the audience. He is flaccid as any other incongruous character on screen.
Woody Harleson as Haymitch, Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman and Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket provide amusing comic relief to the otherwise intense film. With layers of make-up and enhancements, their characters lack depth and enticing power.
Visually, director Francis Lawrence along with cinematographer Jo Willems has made “Hunger Games: Catching Fire” more appealing with brutal frames, unique camera angles and futuristic effects. They have also delivered unique frames with colours ripped off, and this adds a new element of darkness of this dark story.
Overall, though the director has stuck to the novel giving this reality game show a larger than life projection with alluring aesthetics, his conversion of the tale from the novel to screen lacks the required spark to make it an evocative film.
This film may appeal only to fans of The Hunger Games. (IANS)