Liam Hemsworth

ON THE SILVER SCREEN: THE LYING GAME (THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE)

 

By Brian Lafferty

November 22, 2013 (San Diego) – A few months ago I watched for the first time the infamous episode of the 1950s quiz show Twenty-One in which contestant Charles Van Doren “defeated” Herb Stempel.  A few years later it was revealed that many of the prime time network quiz shows were rigged at the behest of the sponsors.  What millions of viewers thought was actual suspenseful game playing was really a series of scripted performances for the sake of “good television” and high ratings.  (If you watch that episode of Twenty-One, it’s so obvious Van Doren is acting, and doing a bad job of it.)


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

By Brian Lafferty

March 23, 2012 (San Diego) – The Hunger Games is gripping, emotional, and gritty. It’s Hollywood’s second great survival film after Joe Carnahan’s The Grey. On top of that, it’s an indictment on the social disparities between the elite and lower class, and on American society’s obsession with reality television.

 


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: DESPITE BAREBONES SCRIPT "THE LAST SONG" HAS ITS STRENGTHS

 

By Brian Lafferty

April 2, 2010 (San Diego's East County)--The Last Song is one of those films I call a “Hit and Miss” picture. Movies that fall under this category typically have as many elements that work as those that don’t. One scene may be wonderful, the next may be forgettable. Some characters are great and some are not so desirable. This is basically how The Last Song works. It is not a bad movie but it isn’t great, either.

 


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