#GAfilm Review: "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1" (***½)

Jennifer Lawrence stars in "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1"

With every fiber in my being, I believe in the power of a story. That’s why I made it my business to study them (UGA, English/Creative Writing); that’s why, since graduation, I’ve made it my business to work within them. That’s why I read and watch them. It’s all for the story. So when I first saw “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1,” I loved it. I loved it because I love Suzanne Collins’ source material. Well, not all of it, there were some parts that, honestly, I’d rather do without, I didn't particularly love the third book for example, but that’s not the point. Whether or not I like what happens isn’t the point. The story is the point. And, I think, Collins’ story remains true and honest and in this third act of this "Hunger Games" trilogy specifically, she paints a bold and unsubtle picture of modern day warfare. The film itself does a wonderful job reflecting those narratives. That being said, after allowing my love-at-first-sight impression of “Mockingjay – Part 1” to simmer and steam, I no longer love this film. I do, however, like it a whole lot.

What is your guess for the mystery Savannah Film Festival Director's Choice screening?

An annual tradition here at the Savannah Film Festival is a mid-week mystery screening, the Director's Choice. No announcement is made, no clues given; we have to wait until the projector beams the chosen selection onto the screen at the Trustees Theatre.

Last year, "Hyde Park on Hudson" was the selection. In previous years, the world premiere of "The Muppets," the Savannah-filmed "The Conspirator," "Up in the Air," "Persepolis," "Volver" and "Match Point" all held the distinction. What could this year's film be? Considering the festival's past relationship with Focus Features, my guess is "Dallas Buyers Club," which opens in select cities this Friday. Other rumors making their way around town and around the Internet include "Ender's Game," "Out of the Furnace," "Saving Mr. Banks" and "Thor: The Dark World." Some have suggested Georgia's own "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," but let's face it—that ain't happening three weeks before its highly anticipated release.

What are some of your guesses? Leave a comment! Follow us on Twitter to find out the selection as soon as it hits the screen.

Signs and Sets: "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay," "Dumb and Dumber To," "Fast & Furious 7"

"THE ODDS ARE NEVER IN OUR FAVOR," a remnant from the set of
"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" in Southwest Atlanta

It is pretty easy to find pictures of all the celebrities that are spending time filming projects in Georgia, but sometimes you might stumble upon a nondescript film set and not know what and who you are looking at. In a new column called "Signs and Sets," we'll share pictures of the coded signs and miscellaneous set pictures that might not contain the glamorous faces of stars, but will give you an idea of what to look for when set-hunting. Currently, "Fast & Furious 7," "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1" and "Dumb and Dumber To" are all speeding through production in the Metro Atlanta area.

Is "Anchorman: The Legend Continues" the most star-studded Georgia production ever?

Will Ferrell on the set of "Anchorman: The Legend Continues" at
Woodruff Park in Atlanta. Photo: Skip Hammerman

Making use of Georgia's incredible settings and fiscal resources for nearly two months now, Adam McKay's sequel to comedy mega-hit "Anchorman" is still filming in Atlanta. "Anchorman: The Legend Continues" sees Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Steve Carrell, Paul Rudd and David Koechner all return to reprise their roles and welcomes new cast members like Kristen Wiig, James Marsden, Harrison Ford and Meagan Good.

One of the big stories out of this film isn't the main cast, but the slew of huge stars that have been roped in to shooting cameos for the film. Jim Carrey, Sasha Baron Cohen, Kirsten Dunst, Tina Fey, Liam Neeson, Nicole Kidman, Amy Poehler, John C. Reilly, Vince Vaughn and Kanye West have all been spotted in Atlanta in recent weeks filming their scenes. Rumor has it that Will Smith will also appear. In their downtime, some of the celebrities have been spotted enjoying the city at spots like Ecco and the Park 75 Lounge at the Four Seasons Hotel on 14th Street. Baron Cohen, Fey, Marsden, Neeson, Poehler, Reilly and Rudd were all spotted having a drink together at the Park 75 on Monday night. Most of these cameos have been filmed in Woodruff Park in Downtown Atlanta this past week, but recent shooting has taken place all over town as well as in and around Glynn County on the Georgia coast. Ferrell and company spent a few days filming at the St. Simons Island pier.

"Anchorman: The Legend Continues" promises to be one of the year's biggest hits and will hit cinema screens in December, shortly after another Georgia-lensed future blockbuster, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire." Before "Anchorman" brought dozens of stars into town, "Catching Fire" might have been the most star-studded Georgia production to date. That film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrellson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Donald Sutherland, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Jena Malone, Sam Claflin and Stanley Tucci. "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" is currently back in Atlanta completing reshoots.

Georgia's television boom also continues. Currently, "The Walking Dead" is shooting in Senoia, "Being Mary Jane" is shooting at EUE/Screen Gems Studios in Atlanta and "Necessary Roughness" is filming in Atlanta (including shoots at Lenox Mall and the W Midtown).

After her recent arrest, Reese Witherspoon has resumed work on her film "The Good Lie" in Atlanta. The Philippe Falardeau film also stars Corey Stoll and Arnold Oceng. Shooting has taken place all over town, from Marietta Street to Cheshire Bridge Road and Woodland Avenue.

"A Friggin' Christmas Miracle" is also still filming in Atlanta. Robin Williams, Lauren Graham, Joel McHale, Oliver Platt and Candice Bergen star in the holiday themed comedy from director Tristram Shapeero. Some shooting has taken place in Stone Mountain.

Atlanta isn't the only Georgia city seeing stars, however. "Need for Speed" has been filming all over Macon in recent weeks, including many of the city's signature downtown avenues. The Scott Waugh film stars Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Dakota Johnson, Michael Keaton, Imogen Poots, Ramon Rodriguez and Kid Cudi. Shooting will also take place in Rome next month.

So what productions will kick off next in the Empire State of the South? "Solace," starring Colin Farrell, Anthony Hopkins, Abbie Cornish and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, as well as "Million Dollar Arm," starring Jon Hamm, Alan Arkin and Suraj Sharma. Both films are set to begin production later this month. Producer Mark Joseph has also been touring Georgia recently, scouting locations for a planned Ronald Reagan biopic. Georgia's lustrous film community is working hard to lure the production away from the original plans to shoot in North Carolina. Two films are set to film at Lake Lanier this summer—Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore will film their new romantic comedy, "Blended," for Warner Brothers and a remake of "Endless Love" is in the works for Universal Studios. More information on those two films to come.

"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" teaser trailer

After "Identity Thief" debuted to huge numbers, despite a critical mauling, "42" marks the next Georgia film release this year to strike gold at the box office. Georgia productions are on a roll, to say the least, and the biggest player in the game doesn't even come out until November. "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" is the most ambitious Georgia production to date, in terms of budget, spectacle and the expectations of an already massive built-in fan base.

The teaser trailer premiered at the MTV Movie Awards last night, showcasing the first real footage of the film so far. Much like the first film in the franchise, we aren't given any footage of the actual games– a frustrating, but effective suspense tactic. We can spot returning stars like Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland and Willow Shields, as well as newcomer to the cast– Philip Seymour Hoffman. Francis Lawrence's sequel hits cinema screens on November 22nd.

Check out the trailer after the jump!

"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" teaser posters released

"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" doesn't come out until November 22nd, but the Georgia-filmed blockbuster-in-waiting is kicking its promotional campaign into high gear. Three new teaser posters have been released for the Francis Lawrence film. Two posters focus on Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) on the Victory Tour as winners of the 74th Hunger Games. The most recently released poster (above) showcases Elizabeth Banks as Effie.

We expect the first trailer of the film to be attached to one of the big summer kick-off releases in May. Stay tuned for more "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" updates and check out more posters after the jump!

Photos from "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"

Sam Claflin and Jennifer Lawrence star in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"

Easily, the highest profile Georgia release of 2013 is "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire." While the first film of the franchise was filmed in North Carolina, the second film was produced in two separate halves; first in Metro Atlanta, then in Hawaii. Stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz, Donald Sutherland and Stanley Tucci all return for the second feature and are joined by Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jena Malone, Jeffrey Wright, Sam Claflin, Lynn Cohen and Amanda Plummer.

Regardless of how the film turns out, it is guaranteed to make an outrageous amount of money and feature Georgia on thousands of cinema screens. Director Francis Lawrence has taken the reigns from Gary Ross and is set to direct all remaining films in the franchise. "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay" will be split into two films but shot back to back. No word yet on if filming will take place in Georgia. "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" will be released on November 22, 2013.

Lionsgate has released the first images from the movie. Check out two more after the jump.

Diane Lane, Matt Dillon, Michelle Monaghan among honorees at 2012 Savannah Film Festival

The 2012 Savannah Film Festival honorees clockwise from top left:
Diane Lane, Matt Dillon, Geoffrey Fletcher, Michelle Monaghan

No stranger to big Hollywood names, the Savannah Film Festival looks to keep business as usual this year. Oscar nominees Diane Lane and Matt Dillon will both receive Outstanding Achievement in Cinema Awards at this year's festival. You might recall that the two shared the big screen together several times in the 1980s, in "The Outsiders," "Rumble Fish" and "The Big Town."

Michelle Monaghan, who has starred in films such as "Source Code," "Gone Baby Gone," "Eagle Eye" and "Mission: Impossible III," will receive the Spotlight Award when her film "Tomorrow You're Gone" screens Friday, November 2nd. Willem Dafoe and Stephen Dorff also appear in the film.

Georgia's film industry: A $3.1 billion dollar behemoth

Amy Adams and Justin Timberlake on the set of "Trouble with the Curve" in Athens

From July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012, a record $3.1 billion dollars was generated by Georgia-lensed films, television series, commercials and music videos. This is a rise of nearly 30% over 2011's fiscal year, which held the previous record.

A stunning 333 productions were filmed in Georgia during FY2012, many of which you have already seen hit theater screens or will see in the coming months. Georgia's already robust showing at cinemas this year includes releases like "Joyful Noise," "Wanderlust," "The Three Stooges," "What to Expect When You're Expecting," "The Watch," "The Odd Life of Timothy Green," "Lawless" and "Trouble with the Curve."

"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" officially begins production in Georgia

Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson and Jennifer Lawrence will all reprise
roles in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"

Production on "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" began today in Atlanta. Shooting will take place first at the Georgia World Congress Center. The working title for the film is "The Idiom," but I imagine that cover has been completely blown by now. Filming will take place all over Metro Atlanta before moving production to Hawaii. If you have any pictures or updates from the set, email them to us at reelga@gmail.com.

Recently announced cast-members include Jeffrey Wright as Beetee, Sam Claflin as Finnick Odair, Alan Ritchson as Gloss and Stephanie Leigh Schlund as Cashmere.

"Catching Fire" is just another addition to the list of projects currently filming across Georgia. Shawn Levy's "The Internship" is in Atlanta shooting with Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. "Scary Movie 5" also just began filming in Atlanta with Ashley Tisdale, Lindsay Lohan, Heather Locklear, Charlie Sheen and Molly Shannon. "The Walking Dead" is currently shooting in Grantville. First time director Rudiger Von Spies just began filming "Enchanted Amore" in Savannah with stars Rusty Joiner and Nadine Vinzens.

"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" casting call

Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson will star in
"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"

"Catching Fire," the sequel to mega-box office hit "The Hunger Games" will start filming in Atlanta this September. Stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Tobey Jones, Donald Sutherland and Lenny Kravitz are all slated to return. New cast members already announced include Philip Seymour Hoffman as Plutarch Heavensbee, Jena Malone as Johanna Mason, Amanda Plummer as Wiress, Lynn Cohen as Mags and Meta Golding as Enobaria. No official announcement of beloved character Finnick Odair has been made.

Operating under the working title, "The Idiom," the film will split production between the metro Atlanta area and Hawaii. This will make sense to fans of the book, as about half of the film takes place in a tropical climate.

Check out the casting call from Catrett Locke Casting after the jump.