‘Mockingjay’ continues engaging ‘Games’ saga

Fri., March 6, 2015

Sean Axmaker

What’s new to watch this week on pay-per-view and streaming services:

Pay-per-view / video on demand

“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1,” the third of four films in the young adult series, was the box office champ of 2014 and it’s an unexpectedly engaging drama about rebellion, propaganda, media, the emotional and psychological scars of war, and the power of symbols, in large part thanks to the earnest performance by Jennifer Lawrence as the reluctant warrior and symbol of resistance. It’s PG-13 and has some harrowing scenes, so mind the younger kids. (You can still stream the previous chapter, “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” on Netflix and Amazon Prime.)

“Foxcatcher,” which dramatizes a notorious true story of wealth, ego and murder from the 1980s, earned Oscar nominations for actors Steve Carell (practically unrecognizable behind a prominent false nose) and Mark Ruffalo and director Bennett Miller. Not a family film, it’s unsettling, unpleasant and rated R.

Also new: Kevin Kline is Errol Flynn in “The Last of Robin Hood” with Dakota Fanning and Susan Sarandon, and Ewan McGregor and Brenton Thwaites are bank robbers in “Son of a Gun,” both rated R.

Netflix

All caught up with “House of Cards”? Netflix debuts a new show this week: “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” originally developed for NBC by Tina Fey. Ellie Kemper (of “The Office”) is all wide-eyed optimism and cheer as a 29-year-old woman let loose on the modern world after decades as the prisoner of a doomsday cult, and “30 Rock” alumnus Jane Krakowski co-stars. All 13 episodes of the first season are available.

Also new: “The Red Road: Season 1,” a Sundance original series about the uneasy alliance between a small town sheriff and a member of a nearby Native American tribe (Jason Momoa, the barbarian king of “Game of Thrones,” season one), and the mini-series “Houdini” with Adrien Brody as the legendary escape artist.

Amazon Instant Prime

“Listen Up Philip” is a witty modern drama that evokes the literary world of the ’70s, starring Jason Schwartzman as a self-involved young novelist and Jonathan Pryce as a literary legend who takes him under his wing. Elizabeth Moss co-stars and Eric Bogosian voices the omniscient narrator.

New seasons of two cult shows are now streaming: “Orphan Black: Season Two” (2014) with Tatiana Maslany and the “Silence of the Lambs” prequel “ Hannibal: Season Two” (2014) with Mads Mikkelson as Hannibal Lector. Comedy Central’s “Drunk History: Season Two” (2014) offers warped history lessons from inebriated comedians.

Sean Axmaker is a Seattle film critic and writer. His work appears in Parallax View, Turner Classic Movies online and the “Today” show website. Visit him online at seanax.com.

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