Mockingjay Part 1: Did anything happen?

As a reader of The Hunger Games trilogy I of course went to see the third film adaptation of the series, Mockingjay Part 1 (directed by Gary Ross). I thought the film was a pretty good representation of the first half of the book, where nothing happens at all....

Most of the film consisted of "Katniss" (Jennifer Lawrence) walking through the rubble of destroyed districts while on the brink of tears. Now I understand Lawrence was probably filming a couple other projects either side by side or pretty close to the filming of Mockingjay, but her performance plays true to the quote "don't bite off more than you can chew". I found her performance to be lazy and completely lacking in truth. We've all seen "Katniss" grow throughout the past two films as a true heroine; Strong, detached, full of mystery yet always willing to take the bullet. This "Katniss" did not honor her. After going through the games not once, but TWO times, don't you think she'd have lost some vulnerability? The games, where the only way to survive is to become literally inhumane. Don't you think she would have not only run out of tears to shed, but also forget that she's even human. All I saw was a weak, sappy, and irritatingly naive young girl which caused me to wonder, "what happened to our Katniss?". The entire film relied on Lawrence's performance because, as I said before, nothing actually happens. Her talent was the only thing keeping this well done blockbuster from turning into a typical hollywood sham of a film; which is exactly what Mockingjay is. 

As for the rest of the sub-par film, "Katniss" (Lawrence) and "Gale" (Hemsworth) had absolutely no chemistry, which is strange because apparently they are very close in real life. The tension between the two characters was a huge flame in the last book that kept the story flowing, which unfortunately is lacking in the adaptation. 

The only thing that makes this film worth watching (if it is at all) is the amazing and surprising performance by Josh Hutcherson. I was a bit unimpressed by him in the first two films, but I must say I was blown away by him in Mockingjay. during his screen time which consisted mostly of close-ups, he captivates the audience with his honesty, perplexity, and the twinging pain that seems to never leave his eyes. I left the theatre saying to myself "Where did he come from?". Lawrence was clearly the stronger actor in the first two films and in this one they seemed to have switched places. 

While the late Philip Seymour Hoffman as well as veterans Julianne Moore, Donald Sutherland, and Woody Harrelson did pull in fine performances, there just wasn't much for them to do with this half told story. I kind of forgot about them...

All I ask is that when there is $125 Million on the line, please for the love of art MAKE SOMETHING WORTH WATCHING. If the studios in Hollywood weren't so consumed with making money and they actually concentrated on the QUALITY of the films, then guess what? Everyone would win! We'd get to see great quality films and they'd STILL get to make tons and tons of money. But ya know what?  Tons and tons of money just isn't good enough for them. Mockingjay so very obviously should have been one movie and the only reason it's not is because now they get to make DOUBLE.  

Thoughts on Interstellar, Birdman, and Gone Girl

The last three movies I saw were Interstellar, Birdman, and Gone Girl (directors- Christopher Nolan, Alejandro González Iñárritu, and David Fincher).  Each of these films are extremely well acted, written, and directed, and are already contenders in this years award season. I did however notice a strange similarity in the way I felt when leaving the theatre for both Birdman and Gone Girl that was drastically different than the way I felt when leaving Interstellar.

I'm very empathetic which can be fun while watching movies, as I truly feel that I'm sharing the experience with the characters. Of course this can also be emotionally and even physically disruptive while watching something painful (emotionally or physically) since I share that experience as well. While watching Birdman I felt very connected to the lead character (Riggin- played by Michael Keaton) because actors share similar "demons", mostly leading back to the need for outside acceptance and praise in order to feel fulfilled. Although I related to the character of "Riggin" which is wonderful, the film left me very emotionally confused. I felt there was no solution to this "demon" living inside Keaton's character, which made me think there was no solution to my own "demons". I felt that the film forced me to look backward at my personal problems instead of looking forward into the light at the end of the tunnel.

A similar emotion arose after seeing Gone Girl when the only conclusion I could come up with was, "both of these people are terrible." I felt confused as to why I spent over two hours watching humanity at it's worst with absolutely no message behind it. This too made me look backward on the world's issues instead of forward.

I know that every film can't be happy and positive the whole way through, and I personally would find that extremely boring. What I do think every Studio film should have at this point in time is a message that makes people think FORWARD. We know our society's issues. Everybody with an active facebook knows the condition of the world today in every aspect and from every person's point of view. We are on the brink of a spiritual and scientific revolution where we can share ideas and beliefs without filter whenever and with whomever we want. The lines are blurring and the light is spreading like wild fire. I think it's about time the media caught up.

I know It's easy to say, "A movie is just a movie", but think about what our subconscious takes from these blockbuster films. Movies like Interstellar force us to think progressively because of it's message. I'm not saying every film has to be about literal progression like Interstellar. I'm saying the most beautiful messages are always intertwined within the darkest of tales, and that might be the only thing I know certain to be true in this life. Why put something out there for the world to see that hones in on yesterdays problems, unless it leads us somewhere new? Where there is darkness there is always light and that message should be underlaid whenever possible.

Samantha Bogach talks about The Campaign

Q: What would you like to tell us about The Campaign?

Samantha: It is a one woman show that was written for me and initially intended to be aired on a PPV channel, but is also destined to be performed in front of live audiences.

Q: What sort of character are you playing in this piece?

Samantha: She is more me than not. She appears to be vibrant and invincible but can become emotionally vulnerable without warning. I find her to be fascinating and unpredictable.

Q: What is The Campaign about?

Samantha: On the face of it, it’s about a young woman trying to gain acceptance with a constituency that either doesn’t know her or has only heard negative things about her. At it’s core it speaks to the need that we all have, in varying degrees, for acceptance and to have others understand who we really are. The character is ahead of the game in that she realizes that it is incumbent upon her to understand her constituency, their wants and needs, if she is to expect them to understand her. You could say it’s a story about reciprocity.

Q: What led you to become involved in this project?

Samantha: I found that what I was reading in my free time was far more interesting than what I was reading in the audition room. This project is intended to eliminate the gap so that the audience will witness something that is as interesting as it is enlightening.

For further information, contact:

615-945-7062

and/or

samanthabogach@gmail.com

Mike Nichols 1931-2014

Today the industry lost an amazing asset to the world of directors, Mike Nichols. Mike has personally been a favorite director of mine having directed some of my favorite films, "The Graduate", "Closer", and of course "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" which is shown in the clip above.  This clip alone, in which Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton beautifully play to their brands, is a wonderful tribute to Mike as a director. Not only did Mike direct some of Hollywood's most legendary pictures he had a big helping hand in some of our most beloved actor's oscar winning performances, including Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman. Nichols was know for bringing out the best in his actors- “I love to take actors to a place where they open a vein. That’s the job. The key is that I make it safe for them to open the vein.”- Nichols. Rest in Peace Mike, you will be sorely missed.

And each of you...

This is an extended monologue written for me by writer/director Stephen Mitchell. It is on its way to becoming a one-woman show for PPV, but could be performed on stage as well. It's still a work in progress and we are having fun experimenting with it. Here I am playing with tonalities..

An exercise on nonverbal communication

Here's an exercise on nonverbal communication provided for me by director/writer Stephen Mitchell. I hit nine different emotions in this nonverbal "monologue"; Can you tell what I'm feeling?

On being a Warrior Goddess...

I've been into stage combat for years- working on classic and contemporary theatre pieces, but within the past couple of years I've transitioned into cinema where I've been able to bring my stage combat into play in a slightly different way.

I started working with Cross the Line Entertainment, a company that produces live-action comic book movies, where I was provided with stunt fight training for film (hand-to-hand combat and weaponry). Fighting for camera can be tricky because you have to be very aware of your placement in correlation to the cameras. Ex. If the camera is in front of you to you're left, a left jab would have to go straight behind the left side of your opponent's head in order to sell to camera, and same goes for the other side. A knee to head would have to go behind the head of your opponent (the head being in between your knee and the camera) so the lack of impact would be hidden. You have to be aware of where the camera is at all times throughout the scene for the DP to fully get the shots he/she needs. Everything of course depends on whoever is "getting hit" to sell the "impact". Big reactions will make or break a fight scene. I personally love getting beat up- it's super fun!

The best part of having stunt fight training is the opportunity it brings in the acting world. Since I can do my own stunts I make it a lot easier on casting and production because they don't have to hire a stunt woman. If you're not able to get training circumstantially like I did, I'd suggest taking classes (GROUPON!) to broaden your chances in this industry. It's a great skill to have under your belt!

An article about Samantha Bogach

With stars in her eyes since she was a little girl, one local graduate is proving she has what it takes to make it in the acting industry.

Fans of the popular daytime soap opera “Days of our Lives” may have recently noticed the familiar face of Samantha Bogach, a 2008 Beech High School graduate.

Bogach, 24, who is now a Los Angeles transplant, was cast in a recurring role of Lucy - a character related to the show’s longtime character, Kayla.

Read the entire article here

Samantha's "branded" monologue

Here I am performing some layers of the Action/ReAction technique in a monologue written for me by writer/director Stephen Mitchell.

An interview with Samantha Bogach

Q: How did you get started as an actress?

Samantha: I’ve always wanted to be an actress since before I can remember, although I started out singing. There’s a home video of me when I’m four years old claiming proudly that I was going to be an actress when I grow up- I don’t even remember saying that! The first time I remember realizing this was it for me, was opening night of my very first musical- Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory when I was 11 years old.

Q: What kind of roles are you best at playing?

Samantha: What I tend to play best are young women who appear to be vibrant and invincible, but can find themselves totally vulnerable, emotionally, without warning.

Q: Is there a director who’s work you admire and with whom you would like to work?

Samantha: Yes! Quentin Tarantino. Especially because of his remake of Inglorious Bastards. I’m Jewish so of course it hit home, but what I liked most about it was he took a time in history which is deemed horrifying, and mixed it with humor and pride. I didn’t get depressed while watching a film based around WWII; That’s a major win for Tarantino.

Q: Do you have a wish list of directors you’d like to work with?

Samantha: Yes! (in no particular order) Quentin Tarantino, Steven Spielberg, Wes Anderson, J.A. Bayona, Ridley Scott, Martin Scorcese, Woody Allen, Peter Jackson, Rob Reiner, and Judd Apatow.

Q: What is your background?

Samantha: I was initially attracted to Musical Theatre because of the feeling I got the first time I performed on stage- this feeling of wholeness. Then my passion grew immensely when performing in the stage drama, Crimes of the Heart, by Beth Henley. Her writing is so intricate. It was the first time I connected with a role on this level, and I could feel the audience every night completely immersed in what was happening. Since then my passion, although remaining at the theatre, has expanded to cinema- which is a completely different world! I feel connected to film because I’ve always seen things very cinematically. I feel that life is like a film or vice versa, and I’m passionate about how the two worlds are interchangeable depending on perspective.

For further information, contact:

615-945-7062

and/or

samanthabogach@gmail.com