Welcome to "Campaigning for Coin"! The fan sites have been examine Coin possibilities the past few weeks and today we take a look at Cate Blanchett! As you read these posts, please comment on who your fan cast for Coin is!
*SPOILER ALERT!*
Welcome to District 12
Courtney - Cate Blanchett is my number one pick for Coin, guys. Not only is she a superb actress, but has had experience playing women in power. Elizabeth: The Golden Age earned Blanchett an Academy Award nominee and her portrayal Galadriel has won over the hearts of Tolkien nerds everywhere. Talk about playing a women in power! Galadriel is so ancient, she's probably the only elf left alive in Middle Earth during the War of the Ring who has seen the Light of Valinor with her own eyes. All I'm getting at here is that Cate Blanchett is great at playing a women in power and playing it straight, whether her intentions are good or bad. She is also striking in the same way we gave a super thumbs up to Tilda Swinton. Cate Blanchett has the look I want for Coin, and it doubly helps she's got the experience.
Adam: Cate Blanchett has achieved as much as she could ever hope for as a thespian, which leaves her in a rather enviable spot: She can pick and choose which roles she wants. The question becomes, then, whether she wants to be part of the Hunger Games franchise, because it would be difficult to imagine Nina Jacobson, Francis Lawrence and company ever saying no to such a revered, accomplished actress. Perhaps her most comparable role to date was her turn as Marissa Wiegler in Hanna -- a vicious, calculating character with ruthless ambitions, yet also with tiny doses of empathy that come and go with the breeze. She has proven adept at being charismatic and stoic (Galadriel in LOTR, for instance), and with Mockingjay spaced out into two films, she would have plenty of screen time to enhance the book version of President Coin. Cate Blanchett is capable of playing anyone, and anyone would be lucky to have her, so if a match is desired, nothing but greatness would ensue.
Amie: Cate Blanchet is no stranger to science fiction and fantasy films, having played the beautiful Galadriel in Lord of the Rings. However to see exactly why miss Blanchet would be a perfect Coin, you must see her as Queen Elizabeth in the Elizabeth films. She brings a nation into it's golden age, and is praised among her people. Her strength and solidarity in this role is stunning. Yet she is vulnerable, and afraid, and, when in the private of her room or few trusted friends, she will break down. We don't have any moments in Mockingjay where we get to see Coin's breakdowns and weaknesses, but we know they are there, and these are elemets that must be in the film. Coin is a layered character; Cate is a layered actress. Don't let her beauty fool you, and she is gorgeous. I met her in person at a premiere and couldn't stop staring. She is flawless. This is another incredible thing, with how beautiful she is, her talent as an actress can make you think her to look plain and frumpy if she wants you to see her this way. If Cate were Coin, she would be an asset to a talented and seasoned cast, and I would be jumping for joy.
Tash: Some illustrious actresses have already been discussed through the Campaigning for Coin series and Cate Blanchett is another. Of course being Australian I am going to be biased, but Blanchett's achievements are remarkable and her filmography speaks for itself. Perhaps best known to many for her role as Galadriel in the 'Lord of the Rings', Blanchett is also one of a handful to have been nominated for both a Supporting and Best Actress Academy Award in the same year. We're also talking about the woman who has portrayed Queen Elizabeth I, Katharine Hepburn and Bob Dylan (!) on screen. I think Blanchett would make a really interesting Coin and bring the multiple layers of Coin's personality to screen really well. She can exude charisma and confidence when she needs to and I always imagined Coin as a woman who knew exactly how to manipulate the situation in her favour without making waves and making her intentions obvious. The audience needs to be slow to work this out like Katniss was and I think Blanchett would be perfect at throwing the audience off the scent by creeping up on us slowly. Another thing I find important about the role of Coin is that ultimately her tale was rather tragic as well, on some level you do sympathise with her despite her actions. I can see Blanchett perfectly portraying the subtle malice, fierce determination, ambition, fear and cunning that Coin possesses and would love to see her in the role.
Kristen: Cate Blanchett...What comes to mind for me is her role as Marissa in the film Hanna. She had an objective and was ruthless when it came to attaining her goal. Of course, prior to that she made an absolutely brilliant head of state in her role as Queen Elizabeth I. That being said, she could definitely work as President Coin. The only real issue I have with Cate is that she's much younger than I had pictured Coin to be.
Megan: Hands down Cate Blanchett is one of my favorite actresses. She just has a way about her that has "Classic Hollywood Icon" (as well as fashion icon) written all over it. She is graceful and so stunning. The list of films she's been apart of goes on for miles. Cate has been nominated a total of 5 times for an Academy Award for her roles in Elizabeth, Notes on a Scandal, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, I'm Not There and The Aviator (which did win her an Oscar for Best Supporting Role). Cate also portrayed Galadriel in the "Lord of the Rings" series, which is at the top of my all time favorite flicks list. She was brilliant in the film! I honestly believe Cate could take on any role given to her. If she were cast as Coin she'd nail it. She would be an amazing addition to the Hunger Games cast, but with all of that said she is not my first choice. Her looks are a bit too youthful (which could be changed) and to me President Coin should be played by someone a bit older or lesser known. There are several others who cross my mind for Coin and she's not one that particularly stands out.
Tiffany: As a huge Lord of the Rings fan, I can't help but be excited by the thought of Cate Blanchett as President Coin. She has played rulers before, from Elf Queen Galadriel to one of the greatest rulers in history Queen Elizabeth I. She has an expansive filmography with a wide range of roles, so I have no doubt she could pull of Alma Coin. I think she could play cold, calculating President Coin very well. She has a face that can go from warm and friendly to harsh and vengeful in an instant. My only hesitance is, does she need another high profile role in a book-to-movie franchise?
Welcome to another edition of Mockingjay Mockup! Glad you are still with us after the long post we had last week in which we went into detail how we think Part One should go. Since we posted it, news came out that Mockingjay indeed will be two parts. Huge sigh of relief over here. This makes our job a little easier as we don't have to persuade as hard why it should be two films, though we're still seeing some unrest among fans who think that it shouldn't be two films. Guys, I know it seems that Lionsgate is "cashing in" on the franchise, which I won't say isn't true, however having Mockingjay as one film, I guarantee it, would have totally screwed us over. Mockingjay as one film, no matter who directed it, would have turned into a confusing scatter-brained shell of what could have been an epic journey of war. We will revisit this topic most likely in our last installment, but for now let's delve into something a little more lighthearted: CINEMATIC DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR!! Opening
This time around, we're only looking at things that occur in our Part 1 Layout. To start out, it's possible we'll get a look at how Panem is doing as well as what's going on in the Capitol at this time. There may even be a possibility Peeta wakes up and finds himself in a terrible situation. Will we get a look into what torturous things are occuring around Peeta? With a likely PG-13 rating, we're not too sure but we're definitely not ruling it out.
After the above happens, there are two scenarios we'd like to see that involves where the flashback of the firebombing occurs.
Scenario #1: Shot of only Katniss' feet walking through dust, coal, and rubble. She reaches the doorstep of her home in Victor's Village. She retrieves the items she's looking for, basically everything that happens in the book during this scene. Of course she stumbled upon the rancid smell of the rose (which we are assuming will be touched upon in Catching Fire), slow push to the rose suddenly engulfed in fire which becomes the fire from the firebombing. FLASHBACK TIME! We see the firebombing event, which ends in fire where we get the movie title right on top: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1.
Pros: We get to see the flashback a lot sooner, being the device to what brings the audience to the opening titles provides great drama. It's always great to have an action scene in the first 10 minutes.
Cons: We don't get to see the demolished District 12 until the propo gets filmed, which isn't until much later on.
Scenario #2: After establishment of Panem and possibly Peeta's situation, Katniss walks through a destroyed District 12. We see first hand the aftermath of the destruction and despair. She reaches Victor's Village, gets everything to take back with her, and stumbled upon the rose. Same as Scenario #1, slow push on the rose which becomes engulfed in fire. Here is where the movie title appears: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1. In this case, flashback does not occur until the first war room scene in District 13.
Pros: Clean and simple, flashback occurs during a scene where much can be explained.
Cons: Lack of anticipation and action.
We really like the idea of putting the title sequence here as we think it is just as much a reminder to Katniss as it is to the audience of Snow's ever watchful eye. The rose is a great symbol of the suffering and war to come, and a great place to officially kick off the film.
District 8
We definitely want this to be a punch in the gut for every audience member. The hospital scene should definitely be a touching moment where we truly see Katniss' effect on those in the other districts. We're expecting the score to be up to par with this memorable scene (John Williams, yes? Please? PLEASE?!?!) all of a sudden to be interrupted by the sound of bombers above as Katniss is waving goodbye to all the wounded.
As for the conclusion of the action scene with the all important "We burn, you burn with us" section, it could be interesting to go between the actual filming of the propo and the airing of it in sections of Panem at the same time. Could be nifty, but it's just an idea. All in all, this is the moment when Katniss truly becomes the Mockingjay for herself, so we're expecting this section of the film to have a lot of focus and attention.
The Hanging Tree
Yes, it's quite possible The Hanging Tree will be omitted, but.....will it? We mentioned this a bit in the last post, but we won't be surprised if they keep it it. Whether because the fans will be quite disappointed if it's not in it or because it's just one of those popular movie devices, it's very possible it will make the cut. During the propo scene that it occurs during, we get a look at what District 12 is like after all the destruction. Then, Tiffany and I got to thinking, and maybe it's because we've seen Lord of the Rings way too many times (I mean, come on, we play Lord of the Rings DVD trivial pursuit), what if we get a montage during Katniss singing "The Hanging Tree"? It's possible we could get an update on the war in Panem much like they do in Return of the King:
Hey, we called this post "Cinematic Delusions of Grandeur" for a reason. We can dream, right?
INTERCUT CLIMAX!
If you haven't checked out our previous post about the climax of Part 1, you should probably take a look at it. We came up with an interesting idea to combine some events to make the climax way more interesting than it is in Mockingjay. But hey, it's not the book's fault! We just know that we need a kick ass climax to end Mockingjay Part 1. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of the lackluster climaxes for all those Part 1 movies in existence. Mockingjay can blow all those out of the water by combining these events: Finnick's story propo, Snow's reaction, Panem's reaction, and the rebel rescue effort. There's plenty of material to go around, not just an action sequence, but a character's SHOCKING backstory to go along with it. It also could be interesting to see the battle between Beetee and the people behind the Capitol feed duking it out over the airwaves.
Part 1 Possible Cuts
Though it bums us out, many things will end up on the cutting room floor, even with a split movie. Here are some things likely to get cut:
-District 13 arm printed schedules (will they even take the time to explain it?)
-Prep Team shackled (depending on their role in Catching Fire.)
-Delly (We'd hate for her to sit on the bench with Madge, but it's possible.)
-Hummingbird room (But it's so pretty!)
-We Remember (These propos likely won't make it, but wouldn't it be cool to see the old tributes again?)
-Brainstorming (We mentioned this scene in our last post, we hope it makes it though! But we completely understand if it does.)
-Katniss/Gale hunting
-The Hanging Tree
Part 1 Possible Additions
-President Snow and Panem reactions to propos such as "We burn, you burn with us" and Finnick's backstory.
-Finnick and Katniss scenes to establish friendship
-Peeta's real time (most likely implied) torture
-Wrap up: President Snow's and Panem's situation right before Part 1 cliffhanger
Part 1 Possible Changes
-Introduce Haymitch in the first war room scene instead of filming of bad propo
-Brainstorming scene slightly altered to discuss propo and change in tactics
-Will Katniss disobey in District 8? We hope so, so they can foreshadow happenings of the Simulated Street Combat in Part 2, but will SSC get cut too?
-Combined scenes for intercut climax
So that's a general look at stuff we'd like to see in part 1, and just a few of the deletions, additions, and changes that might occur. Many questions posed in this series will be answered by the time Catching Fire comes out as well. We're interested to know if Catching Fire will tackle subjects as the Avoxes(THEY BETTER!), the District 12 firebombing, and Finnick & Annie's backstory. I guess we will have to see, won't we? Thanks again for reading this edition of Mockingjay Mockup! Looks like next time we'll be going into Part 2 in detail, which we may just have to split into two posts (how ironic!) cause there's a lot to cover. See you next time!
May your bread be toasty and your arrow fly straight, Courtney & Tiffany
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