J-D Evaluates the Theater Offerings

December 23, 2014

By Gabrielle Tanksley

Staff Writer

Suddenly there’s a huge rush to movie theatres and long lines in the malls, but what’s all the excitement about? The new “Hunger Games” movie “Mockingjay, Part 1” of course! Over 50 percent of Jamesville-DeWitt High School students plan on watching a movie over break. Some options? Popular movies in the past weeks include “Interstellar,” “Dumb and Dumber To,” and “Horrible Bosses 2.” 

Many people have a different take on “Mockingjay, Part 1,” starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth. Those interviewed rated the movie anywhere from 3 to 5 stars out of 5. Freshman Maya Frieden read the “Hunger Games” trilogy and said that she liked them becuase they were so thrilling. However, Frieden thought the movies were “kind of long and dragged on a bit.” She said that she wouldn’t see “Mockingjay, Part 1” again because that’s “like another nap.”    

Senior Chris Russo gave “Mockingjay, Part 1”  3.5 out of 5 stars. “I think it was a good movie but it definitely did not live up to the other ones.” He thought they should’ve ended it at a different spot to prepare for Part 2. Despite this, Russo said that he would see it again and buy it.

Freshmen Jeremy Wells and Eileen Tan and junior Rebecca Shen agree that the overall Mockingjay Part 1 movie was 3 out of 5 stars. Tan didn’t like that the movie was split into two parts becuase the book was complete. She believes that the movie split is only for marketing purposes. While Shen didn’t read the Hunger Games books, she was dissapointed that the movie was split into two parts becuase there weren’t that many events in the first one. Wells thought it was kind of slow and needed more action. 

Sophomore Edward Huynh gave Mockingjay 4 out of 5 stars becuase he likes the dramatic qualities in the movie. Shen also liked the drama in the movie. Senior Hayley Shultz also gave Mockingjay 4 out of 5 stars because the movie was less boring then the book, even if they cut out some parts. Shultz thought it was really good and would like to see it again and most likely buy it.

Junior Casey Keane didn’t read the “Hunger Games” books, but she gave the movie 4.5 out of 5 stars. Keane said, “I definitely could’ve gotten a better understanding [from the books] but I think that they portrayed it well.” Sophomore Hannah Butler read the “Hunger Games” series, which she says helped her understand the moive and gave the Mockingjay Part 1 movie 5 out of 5 stars. Butler said, “I really liked how they showed some things in the movie that you wouldn’t have been able to see in the book, but it went well with the story and was very interesting.” She thought that it helped her understand the movie better. Junior Miles Chandler gave the movie 4.5 out of 5 stars. Chandler thought that the acting was good and liked the cast. “There’s nothing I can really think of that I would change…” he said. 

The movie “Interstellar,” starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway, had many these past few weeks on the edge of their seats in theatres. Junior Simon Schmitt-Hall gave the movie 5 out of 5 stars. “Six out of 6 if you want to do it out of 6,” he exclaimed. When asked if there was anything he’d change about the movie, Schmitt-Hall said, “I want more Matthew McConaughey, if that’s possible.” He said that he would see it many times and would “buy every copy possible.” Schmitt-Hall is excited to see “Interstellar” again soon.

Freshman Hannah Smith also gave Interstellar 5 out of 5 stars. When asked what she would change Smith said, “It’s just confusing about how many years go by during the whole movie and like logistics.” She would like more specifics about the years. Smith said that she would see it again, but wouldn’t buy it to have at home.

Freshman Abbie Leavitt gave the movie 4 out of 5 stars becuase “it was pretty confusing for a late hour at night.” Leavitt said, “It was really lengthy so it was kind of hard to follow at some points.” She said that she would probably see it again so that she could understand it a little better because it’s “one of those movies that takes a lot of thought.”

While ‘Horrible Bosses 2” only recieved a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 34 percent, sophomore Alex Le enjoyed it. Le gave the movie 4.5 out of 5 stars “because the plot was good and it made me laugh.” Le would see the movie again, but instead of buying it, he would do as most of us high schoolers do today and get it for free off of the Internet.

“Dumb and Dumber 2” was recently in theatres and sophomore Seth Blair gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars because he is a big fan of the first movie. Blair said that he would change some of the actors for the lesser roles if he had the choice. He said that he would see the movie again if he had an offer, but that he would definitely buy it because his whole family likes the movies.

There are many movies coming up in the near future and farther down the road. “Pitch Perfect 2,” coming out in May 2015, has many waiting in anticipation. People are also excited to see “Night at the Museum,’ “the Hobbit,” “Exodus,” and “Into the Woods” over break. Keane mentioned that a “Paul Blart, Mall Cop 2” is coming in 2015. Schmitt-Hall excitedly mentioned that “Star Wars Episode 7” is coming out in the new year as well. The Marvel movies keep rolling into theatres so many are waiting for “Avengers 2” to arrive in theatres. Le said that he was excited for “Insidious 3” to come out and Butler said that she would like to see Unbroken. Many people interviewed, including Schultz and Russo, said that they were excited for the “Interview” to come out, but unfortunately now they wont be able to see it.

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