Marsilia got me hooked on the Hunger Game series of books and now the first of the movies is coming out this spring. I'm geekily excited about it, because sci-fi with a strong, young female lead isn't exactly a plentiful genre.
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Marsilia got me hooked on the Hunger Game series of books and now the first of the movies is coming out this spring. I'm geekily excited about it, because sci-fi with a strong, young female lead isn't exactly a plentiful genre.
You're welcome, Zuul. :D One of the things I love about the series is that, while the author might shy away from graphic descriptions of violence (I'm okay with that, actually), she doesn't flinch from the way the way the violence effects those who experience it, and draws a nice dichotomy between those who have some stake in the "reality show" of the Games and those who watch it strictly for entertainment value.
Also,Quote:
Originally posted by Katniss
Gah! Can! Not! Wait!Quote:
Originally posted by Cinna
How many times have you watched the trailer now? :D
I'M AT WORK AN CAN'T WATCH THE TRAILER UNTIL I GET HOME.
::snit::
Eleventy billion.Quote:
Originally posted by Zuul
That trailer is very promising. I hope the movie is as good! Does anyone know whether the movie is just the first book, or they are going to cram the entire series into one movie? (I assume the former.)
They have three movies planned, so this should only cover what's in the first book.
I'd been iffy when I heard they cast Woody Harrelson as Haymitch, but he really does fit the role in that brief clip.
They have four movies planned, actually. I think they're going to split Mockingjay.Quote:
Originally posted by Zuul
Hmm. I'm not sure about that. I felt like it was the weakest of all the books, TBH. I guess it gives them time to wrap up the series, though.
I ordered the books into my shop last week, far behind the curve with them but two online acquaintances have been raving about it, so thought it worth the punt.
I think part of the reason they're planning it is to flesh out some of those weaker aspects. Since the movies won't be limited in POV, they can actually get into more of those moments that Katniss is unaware of, or the ones she hears about second-hand.Quote:
Originally posted by Zuul
I thought he'd be perfect, it's Lenny Kravitz as Cinna that I was concerned about.Quote:
Originally posted by Zuul
Also: EEE. EEEEEEEEEEEE.
See, I was concerned about that for a second, then I got to thinking about it, and Kravitz has a centeredness to him that I think will work well for Cinna. Plus, he and Jennifer Lawrence were already apparently fairly good friends from time she and other X-Men castmates spent at his home n France. So, I'm hopeful that they connect well on screen.Quote:
Originally posted by Orual
I KNOW, RIGHT?!?!?!?!:bravo::bravo::bravo::bravo::bravo:Quote:
Originally posted by Orual
It's going to be the next Harry Potter/Twilight isn't it?
Oh wait - it's Battle Royale isn't it.
They're hoping for that kind of money, but I doubt it'll be quite as big.Quote:
Originally posted by CatInASuit
Nope.Quote:
Originally posted by CatInASuit
Group of kids chosen - hunting each other until one survives - live on TV - what did I miss? :pQuote:
Originally posted by MarsiliaNope.Quote:
Originally posted by CatInASuit
Would you nice people please sell me (figuratively; I can get my hands on the books when I decide to) this book series? My first exposure to their existence was my oldest son (11 at the time) saying he was reading and enjoying them, and since then, I've had quite a few adult friends (overwhelmingly female) say they're great as well. Questions:
- What's awesome about these books?
- Is this a case of "If you liked Harry Potter, you'll love...?" Because I enjoyed those books, but most of the other YA fantasy that's sprung up in its wake - Eragon, Percy Jackson, etc. - has left me rather cold.
- Should I avoid this movie until I read the books?
The whole rest of the plot? There are, of course, surface similarities, but the stories diverge on a lot of key points. From what I understand of Battle Royale, you don't know too much about that version of Japan, while Collins uses The Hunger Games, in part, as a world building exercise, with a lot of points that are strikingly allegorical to the times we live in now (wealth gap, obsession with and corruption of youth, disconnect between reality and reality television, dehumanization of celebrities, and sending people barely out of childhood off to kill). Also, as there are twenty-four separate lotteries to choose Hunger Games contestants (two for each of the twelve districts), there's a chance that a tribute might know one other person in the arena with him or her. Battle Royale, as I understand it, involves a whole class of kids being dumped into an abandoned area with no idea they're about to become contestants.Quote:
Originally posted by CatInASuitGroup of kids chosen - hunting each other until one survives - live on TV - what did I miss? :pQuote:
Originally posted by MarsiliaNope.Quote:
Originally posted by CatInASuit
Beyond that, there are a lot of little similarities and differences. The Hunger Games isn't as graphic in its violent content, but I've been told by people who've read and enjoyed both that it packs more of an emotional punch. And, of course, it goes on from the basic premise of "kids killing kids" to become a very different story.
A strong young female character is the main character, one who is deeply devoted to her family while also having a fierce defiant streak against the corrupt Capitol which controls the country. She's a neat character because she's very flawed and real, but her flaws aren't stereotypes. She's tough, without being an action movie cliche. There's a lot of tragedy in the books, but the emphasis is on how the characters respond and deal with it rather than "action porn."Quote:
Originally posted by OneCentStamp
No. It is science-fiction, so the focus is primarily on the ways that this future society reflects our own. It really felt to me like its own thing, rather than trying to capitalize on any particular trend. It does have some aspects that are very common in the YA market targeted towards girls, but they're pretty secondary to the plot.Quote:
- Is this a case of "If you liked Harry Potter, you'll love...?" Because I enjoyed those books, but most of the other YA fantasy that's sprung up in its wake - Eragon, Percy Jackson, etc. - has left me rather cold.
I don't think so, but I would recommend the books.Quote:
- Should I avoid this movie until I read the books?
And I know people keep making the "Battle Royale" and "Running Man" comparisons, but the idea of a bunch of people being sent off to fight to the death together for the pleasure of an elite class has been a part of literary tradition for a few thousand years. You might as well discount Harry Potter because there have been books about neglected young boys discovering they have a remarkable heritage before. There's much more to it than simply the arena.
Zuul went over a lot of it, and in a much more concrete way than I really could. All I can say is I had dreams about these books long after finishing them. There's an immediacy to them, and a pacing that was amazing. And, as Zuul mentioned, the characters tend to knock some cliches on their heads, where the cliches aren't avoided entirely.Quote:
Originally posted by OneCentStamp
Well, I enjoyed the Percy Jackson books, but they're no Harry Potter. This is also not a Harry Potter. It's really one of those series you have to go into without already having a comparison in mind. I'll admit that was one of the things that made it a tough sell early on. I would have customers ask me to explain the first book, and I would draw a blank, because these were the Twilight crowd, and they wanted Twilight, but I wanted people to read these damned books.Quote:
- Is this a case of "If you liked Harry Potter, you'll love...?" Because I enjoyed those books, but most of the other YA fantasy that's sprung up in its wake - Eragon, Percy Jackson, etc. - has left me rather cold.
I don't think it'll be necessary. Then again, the movie comes out in late March, and we're only just in mid-November. You have plenty of time to read the books (they're quick reads) and let the details get murky before March 23.Quote:
- Should I avoid this movie until I read the books?
A strong female protagonist who is still believably flawed. Supporting characters who are likewise sympathetic and flawed. (Like Haymitch, who won his Hunger Games and all the rewards that come with that, and is consequently a barely-functional bitter alcoholic. I love him.) Interesting world-building. Engaging writing style.Quote:
Originally posted by OneCentStamp
The only book I might say compares to The Hunger Games is Lois Lowry's The Giver, in that they're both YA books dealing with dystopian futures through the eyes of young people. But even then, the plot and tone is very different.Quote:
Originally posted by OneCentStamp
I wouldn't say so, but they aren't long reads. I plowed through the whole series in les than a week.Quote:
Originally posted by OneCentStamp
<3<3<3Quote:
Like Haymitch, who won his Hunger Games and all the rewards that come with that, and is consequently a barely-functional bitter alcoholic.
The whole idea that "winning" becomes such a curse is one of my favorite themes through the series.Quote:
Originally posted by Zuul
Thanks for the replies; it's nice to have it laid out cogently by people whose opinions I've come to respect. :)
My son will be so stoked that Dad wants to borrow his books. He was eyeing the Mistborn trio as I read them; maybe an exchange of prisoners is in order?
Not to brag about my new toy or anything, but the trailer looks better on my Nook Tablet than it does on my laptop.
I cannot tell you how many warm-fuzzies this gives me. Reading being a shared familial activity = <3 <3 <3Quote:
Originally posted by OneCentStamp
Wow, I don't mean to bring the tone of this wonderful conversation down to a crasser level, but I have to admit that one thing I like about really good YA fiction (like Hunger Games) is that it's good literature, but since it is written for a younger audience, it's accessible and I feel like I can get the full enjoyment of reading (thinking about plot and character development, admiring good foreshadowing, approving/disapproving of particular similes or nice turns of phrase) even when I'm too tired for something that's a bit more demanding.
Of course, since I have a son who does a pretty good job of reading YA stuff (he was never into Harry Potter, or - strangely, but I think he started too young - A Series of Unfortunate Events - but he's read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, The Book Thief, His Dark Materials, The Giver, and others) I have a great excuse to read these books. I'm not sure what I'll do as he ages out of YA. (Luckily, people have to look really close to see what it is you're reading on a Kindle.)
BTW, I haven't read all of those books mentioned yet, but both my son and I agree, His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman is THE. BEST. EVER. If you haven't read them yet (it is a trilogy), do it now. They are amazing.
Amazing indeed, but I think everybody finds themselves at the end going "Huh? That was it?" Or were you and your son exceptions to that, Hat?Quote:
Originally posted by Hatshepsut
I can't speak for my son, but for myself: the end wasn't my favorite part, though I do think it was well foreshadowed throughout the trilogy. But the trilogy as a whole was imaginative and thought-provoking. The concept of daemons is very cool, and the entire worlds he describes are worthy of the best science fiction. The ending of a book or series is important, yes, and I wish the ending had been more ... rewarding, somehow. But it didn't destroy the overall effect. I know the series is disliked by Christian fundamentalists because they see it as anti-Christianity. But I don't take that message from it at all; it's just anti-stupid.Quote:
Originally posted by Rube E. TewesdayAmazing indeed, but I think everybody finds themselves at the end going "Huh? That was it?" Or were you and your son exceptions to that, Hat?Quote:
Originally posted by Hatshepsut
I despised the last book of His Dark Materials so profoundly that it pretty much ruined the other two retroactively. Even the armored bears.
See, I wasn't that happy with the last book, but nothing can ruin armoured bears for me.Quote:
Originally posted by Orual
It's difficult for me to imagine a book that wouldn't be improved by adding armoured bears.
I remember being in seventh grade and reading through the first four Dune books along with my dad. (I wouldn't get around to the last two until long after he passed away.) In hindsight, I now realize it must have been as gratifying for him as it was for me; I was surprised at the time, as he was not a fantasy/sci-fi guy at all.Quote:
Originally posted by Orual
I remember reading His Dark Materials and thinking "That was it?" but not because of the ending. I found them sluggish, and a bit preachy (even Pullman has said that he felt like he let the moral get ahead of the story in a couple of places), and not nearly as amazing as the fans had built them up to be.
Of course, I also thought the film version did a disservice to the first book, same as The Lightning Thief, but I'm optimistic at this point that Gary Ross and company have at least done service to the source material with The Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins, the author, has experience writing for television, so the writing has a fairly cinematic style to begin with, and she also was apparently heavily involved in the process when Ross did a near-complete overhaul of Billy Ray's original script (which I've heard enough about to wonder if Ray was just given a synopsis and list of character sketches).
If the armored bears are allowed to kill off the main characters within the first ten pages, I completely agree, and even have some suggestions. :)Quote:
Originally posted by Rube E. Tewesday
This is very true. They messed up a movie with armored bears. How is that even possible.Quote:
Originally posted by Marsilia
That is very good to hear.Quote:
Originally posted by Marsilia
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of HOLY SHIT A TALKING POLAR BEAR."Quote:
Originally posted by OneCentStampIf the armored bears are allowed to kill off the main characters within the first ten pages, I completely agree, and even have some suggestions. :)Quote:
Originally posted by Rube E. Tewesday
Harry Potter and the Half My Friends Have Been Killed By Panserbjorn
Are you there, Iorek? It's me, Margaret.
Now that I think of it, I think Rue could use an armored bear in the arena.
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune will quake in terror if confronted by an armoured bear.
Hwaet! We Gar-dena in geardagum,
theodcyninga thrym gefrunon,
hu tha aethelingas ellen fremedon.
(The original armoured bear).
Back to the Hunger Games, I'm getting kind of a Atwoodesque vibe, or at least the look of the film reminds me of The Handmaid's Tale. is that noticeable in the books?
Is the mention of "tribute" meant to be a Theseus reference? Is there more to it than that? I unfortunately watched The Immortals and I'm not sure if the myth can be more mangled than that did.
parzival, it is. In the book, an even number of teenaged boys and girls are sent to die as tributes because of a past war. The author has said that she was thinking of the legend of Theseus and the minotaur when she worked out the plot.
Have you seen Braveheart?Quote:
Originally posted by parzival
Think televised gladiatorial games in stead of the Minotaur. Collins has stated she grew up fascinated by the ancient Greek and Roman stories and cultures, and modeled Panem (the former USA) after the Roman Empire to an extent, including using Roman names for many of the Capitol citizens.Quote:
Originally posted by parzival
So a bump for "I finished the trilogy last week." :)
I tried not to let my friends' comments color my own expectations and impressions too much, but sure enough, the first book was great, the second good, and the third kinda sucked. I'm really glad I read them before the movie came out.
As a bit of a side note, major props to Suzanne Collins for eschewing the whole I'm-gorgeous-and-I-don't-even-know-it-because-I-was-an-urchin trope of female fantasy characters. I read the Dragonriders of Pern books thirty years ago, I read the Mistborn books three months ago, and plenty more in between, and in a disproportionate number of them, the girl turns out to be jaw-droppingly beautiful once she's cleaned up a bit. It's really trite.
My kid got them for Christmas, and was quite pumped. He's started reading them and got to sleep too late last night since he was so engrossed.
Yeah, it is trite. One thing I enjoyed about Katniss is her attitude regarding all of the image polishing they inflicted on her. Having been a hairy legged teenage tomboy, I could relate. Sure, it's nice to feel pretty, but geez is that a lot of pointless work.
As for the third book...
Spoiler (mouseover to read):
It had some good moments, particularly regarding Peeta and the mindwashing he'd been subjected to. It felt like Collins got a little lost in there, though, and didn't really know how to handle the resistance. Returning to the Hunger Games style traps when they entered the Capitol was painful and just felt like she was trying to shove the book back into her comfort zone. The very ending regarding their return to the victors' village and their struggles to simply live after what they had experienced was the strongest part of that book, IMHO.
Yeah. That was a fantastic touch. One of the things Zuul and I have talked about at length with the series is the way that Collins uses the subversion of traditional literary gender indicators with her characters in her world building.Quote:
Originally posted by OneCentStamp
I think part of the issue Collins had withQuote:
Originally posted by Zuul
Spoiler (mouseover to read):
the siege on the Capitol is that she set out to write a war story, first and foremost, but also seemed to want to tie together the battle and the Games (going back to the idea of watching war the same way we watch reality TV) and it came across as more video game-y than I think she probably intended. Either that, or it was totally supposed to look like that in an effort to show the stupidity of using a war as its own kind of propaganda. Or, maybe she wanted to keep her heroine's human kill count down for the sake of her YA book deal.
I totally agree about the ending, though. After watching my dad,Spoiler (mouseover to read):
I really feel like the way she showed Katniss and Peeta dealing with what they'd seen and done was really...real. And, while I know a lot of people felt the ending was a downer, I thought it was really hopeful, because you saw that the two of them had made the decision to not only not give up on their own lives, but not give up on eachother.
Spoiler (mouseover to read):
I actually liked the very end a lot. In my Goodreads review, I mentioned that my biggest take-away from the trilogy was "that war is a game where everyone loses, violence leaves lasting scars on the perpetrators as well as the victims, and these effects are all magnified when it comes to children," and lamented that the last book's hamfistedness kind of trampled that message. The idea of Katniss and Peeta trying to make a life for themselves after what they'd been through was a nice return to that core message; not enough to redeem the whole last book, but a good touch.
It's almost midnight and my kid is not going to sleep until he finishes the first book. (Hey, tomorrow is Saturday.). He's a pretty voracious reader, but I haven't seen him this much into a book for a while.
He stayed up too late reading the second book again last night. He said something like, "It's the most exciting book I've read since.....ever."
That's awesome. That's about how my oldest (11 at the time) was about them, only he's not very effusive, and very too-cool-for-this, so he was like, "Yeah, they're pretty good," which from him is like doing cartwheels.
Now on the third book, he is dubious about the rebels. He thinks that Capital is at least better than District 13, and he's unhappy about the prospect of abolishing the Hunger Games. He thinks the games themselves are awesome, and just need to be reformed.
The kid's always had his own take on things.
:dubious:Quote:
Originally posted by Rube E. Tewesday
Reformed, like ... giving all the kids paintball guns and having them play a giant game of capture the flag? 'Cause that would be kind of cool
No, I think he's more like turning it into a professional sport with volunteers instead of conscripts, something like that. The violence he really likes.
He's an eleven year old boy.
It's not an inconceivable thing; the Games in the original books were already no stranger to volunteers. The books establish very early on that there's a strong tradition of kids from wealthier districts training from a young age specifically so that they can volunteer, presumably in search of personal or district glory - the whole "Career Tribute" idea.Quote:
Originally posted by Rube E. Tewesday
I've actually heard about schools/classes running their own Hunger Games, though I've not read any real details. I'd assume something on the order of flag football, only without the ball....
He's currently kind of keen on sentencing convicted criminals to participate in the games.
Ah, so an analogue to The Running Man film, rather than book, as it was convicts in the former, the poor in the latter. :DQuote:
Originally posted by Rube E. Tewesday
Look what I found.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoUT7q2iTbQ
Saw a commercial for the movie for the first time last night. Kid looked awestruck, he and his mother (who's been reading the books on her own, just ahead of him) are planning to go see it.
I'm taking Zuul!
Now all of my friends have read the books, and we are all getting super-psyched. The movie does look really good.
I've heard wind of people complaining that Katniss' actress doesn't match the book description, who is "olive-skinned and dark-haired," but for those of us who learned to love Morgan Freeman as Red in The Shawshank Redemption, we'll live. The girl in the previews seems a solid piece of casting, especially as she is not ridiculous Hollywood hot.
For some strange reason, a bunch of people got it into their heads that Katniss should be played by a woman of color. Since she has a blonde sister, I think "white girl with a tan" works just fine.
Having been completely impressed by Jennifer Lawrence's performance in Winter's Bone*, I am sure she'll be excellent. (Although I do think she's pretty damn hot.)Quote:
Originally posted by OneCentStamp
*A movie everyone should watch, because it's awesome for the squirrel-shooting scene alone.
One would think "white girl with a tan" would make the most sense, considering Katniss has a blonde sister and mother. But, the people who are really upset by the caucasian casting are saying things like "I know lots of blondes who are biracial," and "If the author meant for a character whose struggle is so analogous to that of young women of color in this country to be white, the story becomes 100% worse." I've even seen them go so far as to claim that "a Latina would have had the right coloring," then scoff at suggestions of light skinned women with Latin or South American roots.Quote:
Originally posted by Zuul
Oddly, nobody's worried about Haymitch being blond.
Well, from the current press it appears that it is going to try and beat all previous records and wil be bigger than Twilight. The london premiere is up shortly, which will pack out Leicester Square.
I do have one question though. Considering that people can volunteer to take the place of the randomly chosen, why doesn't one of the Districts just train up some people to be their representatives. Who would be better, a randomly picked 16 year old, or a trained from age 4, 16 year old killling machine?
And why didn't the Eagles fly Frodo into Mordor?
Just go with it, Cat.
I thought Districts 1 & 2 did train up professionals. I think they were called careers. I just read the books last month so you would think I would remember.
I'm interested in the movie and don't care about the casting at all.
Umm, yeah, ok. I'll shut up now.Quote:
Originally posted by Rube E. Tewesday
I was just curious, I can't help, its a character flaw
Some Districts do send in 16-year-old killing machines; they are the Districts who usually win the Games. It's described in some detail in the books.Quote:
Originally posted by CatInASuit
What he said.Quote:
Originally posted by What Exit?
So I shouldn't have told Cat to "just go with it". (Hangs head.)
Obviously my kid left out some details when he was telling me what I thought was the entire contents of the books.
If you watch the trailer again, you'll see a big, hulking, spear-throwing guy. That's Cato, one of the Careers.
Yeah, the rise of the Careers makes a lot of sense within the context of the books. I thought they were a very logical result of the situation.
OK, who's seeing the movie this weekend?
We probably will. Sunday or Monday.
My wife and kid are pretty eager to see it, but I don't know when they get to it.
Zuul and I saw it last night, like the nerds we are, and it was exactly right. Not in the sense that it was a line-for-line retelling of the book, but it was an amazing adaptation. The changes between book and film added to the story (or at least didn't detract), the pacing was excellent, Lawrence is perfect, Hutcherson is amazing, Tucci and Sutherland are chilling. Even some of the smaller roles (like the Careers mentioned upthread) were played with more depth than we saw in the books.
I was impressed. Granted, I'll probably go back and watch it a second time when I'm not on such a fangirl high. It might give me a different perspective.
Argh, I'm supposed to wait and see it with a friend who's out of town this weekend, but it's so hard to resist!
First day back at work since the movie opened, and nobody has asked me if I've seen it, but how many times. They know me well.
The books are selling like hotcakes in my store on the back of the film. Shows you how literate a town I live in. :D
Wife and kid saw it tonight, liked it a lot.
Wife and kids saw it tonight, liked it a lot.
:)
It's a worldwide phenomenon: the first couple of Burroughs' John Carter of Mars books are currently dominating Gutenberg.org for a similar reason. :)Quote:
Originally posted by The Original An Gadaí
I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, but I'm going to let things die down for a weekend or two before hitting the theater...
Based on the article in the New Yorker a few months ago about the making of the movie, I read "A Princess of Mars", the first of the books.Quote:
Originally posted by OneCentStamp
A few thoughts:
-It was exciting reading, at least maybe the first four-fifths, but it didn't make a lick of senses, and it was no shock to find that it was the first book the author sold, and was published in installments in pulp magazines.
- Perfectly adequate movie versions of the John Carter of Mars books have already been made. They were called the original Star Wars trilogy.
- When your story line basically revolves around a psycho killer surrounded by psycho killers so crazy they make him blanch, and everybody's running around naked all the time, maybe you don't have great source material for a PG-13 Disney movie directed by the guy who wrote "Finding Nemo".
I read A Princess of Mars a week or two ago as well, and would echo your sentiments, adding only these two:Quote:
Originally posted by Rube E. Tewesday
- This book read like a book that was written and finished as a (rather pulpy) Western, and whose characters and settings were changed at the last minute to make it Martian. I know that isn't really what happened, but it sure felt that way.
- You can tell what a big influence this stuff must have been on L. Ron Hubbard.
Unlike the Hunger Games though, the John Carter film is on its way to be one of the biggest flops ever. We're talking Cutthroat Island levels of flop.
Going to see it tonight! :happy dance:
I give it a solid 3 stars. I liked the additions with the behind-the-scenes game stuff and the riot in District 11. Also the small bit of extra characterization that was shown for the other Tributes. Woody Harrelson was awesome and whoever played Effie Trinket was perfect. Jennifer Lawrence rocked.
There were a few moments that I would have liked to see done differently or highlighted more, but that's to be expected with any book adaptation. The book is so entirely in Katniss' head - we always know what she's thinking and why she'd doing what she's doing, and I didn't feel like we got that in the movie.
I actually think Catching Fire might make for a better movie, since there is more character interplay and less Katniss up a tree by herself.
The early word from several of my friends who have seen it is that the film is Vomitron 3000(TM) in the shaky-cam way of most action movies since the second Bourne film. Yes?
It wasn't as bad when Zuul and I were sitting off to the side but she got pretty sick when we were sitting front and center. :(
The harsh review in the "New Yorker" had many bad words about the shaky-cam style.
Yes, they definitely overdid the shaky cam.
And it isn't just them. It's become de rigeur for action movies, especially PG-13 action movies, where the director needs something other than blood to make scenes feel visceral and violent. It's lazy and annoying.Quote:
Originally posted by Orual
So, I sat back a little and to the side on my third viewing, and it really wasn't as shaky as it had seemed when we sat in the center.
Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy is really excellent casting to me. A good choice.
Well sure, but that's somewhat akin to saying "well, I rode that roller coaster three times, and the third time I sat 2/3 of the way back, and that was totally the trick! I totally didn't barf!" :DQuote:
Originally posted by Marsilia
Actually, it wasn't so bad when we went opening night, either. :D It was the second of three times that it was really distracting.
Just saw the movie with husband and 14-year-old son - we all enjoyed it. In fact, my husband came home and started reading the books.
I have nothing original to observe, as I agree with most of the comments - great casting, generally well-done, but eeeee that "shaky-cam" was horrid. What possessed them to do that?
I was a little surprised not to hear the Taylor Swift "Safe and Sound" song in the soundtrack, but now I see that it is referred to as "companion music" or "inspired by" or some such thing. What an odd concept.
I read the first book, then promptly bought and read the other two. I'd love to see it on screen, but I hear they filmed it with "shakycam" and that makes me motion sick. I couldn't finish "Saving Private Ryan" because of it.
Yeah, the "shakycam" was a real issue for me. The first time I saw it, we were just a little bit further back from the screen and it didn't bother me. The second time I think we were two rows closer and perfectly in the middle of the theatre. It made it really difficult.
When it comes out on DVD/Blu-Ray, I hope some enterprising soul makes a steadycam fan edit.
Should I read the books before watching the film? I've had them in my store but they keep selling out. :)
Here's an interesting article about the film/book: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blog...tradition.html
"That awkward moment" when some white bitch makes you embarrassed for an entire fandom.Quote:
Originally posted by The Original An Gadaí
Honestly, this article makes it even more interesting that Collins went out of her way to describe Rue as "dark." Zuul and I have discussed how Collins played with gender normative expectations in the way she wrote Katniss and Peeta, and I think Rue's death fits in well with that idea of showing the reader something just different enough from the familiar to hopefully make us think about what's really being said.
Rise, zombie HG thread!!! :zombie:
So, we finally got out to see The Hunger Games yesterday! A few pros and cons, in bullet points because I'm too lazy for paragraphs:
Pro:
- The casting. I can't remember an adaptation of a bestselling book to film that was more perfectly cast than this. Not LotR, not Harry Potter, not Game of Thrones, (though they were all well-cast movies), nothing.
- The sets and costumes. The Capital was opulent yet tacky, and everywhere else was drab and squalid without being unbelievably so. Just like the books seemed to indicate.
Con:
- The Steadi-Cam. Of course it's the thing everyone has been complaining about, to the point that we bought our seats probably five rows farther back than we normally would have, and it was still not enough. I was prepared for nauseating fight and chase scenes, but practically every moment of the movie that was meant to be shot from Katniss' point of view was shot on Steadi-Cam, even if she was just walking somewhere. It was overdone and distracting. I only hope the use of Steadi-Cam matures from the lets-show-off-what-we-can-do phase it's in right now, much like 3D seems to be doing gradually.
However, that's only one quibble with an otherwise excellent movie. :bravo:
Catching Fire is going to have a new director, who will hopefully learn from the mistakes made by Garry "But, making the camera man break dance added a sense of urgency!" Ross.
Raising the zombie to post the official casting for the sequel. There have been some other offers made, from what I've read (like Sam Claflin as Finnick), but this is the official list so far.
Jena Malone - bleh.
We can't be friends anymore. :(Quote:
Originally posted by Orual
I finally saw this movie last night.
Holy crap.
Is that a good 'holy crap', or a bad one?
A good one. I think it's generally agreed that it's a pretty good movie, but it hit a lot of buttons that I really like on top of that. Eagerly awaiting the second movie and the DVD release and the getting my hands on these books finally.
You still haven't read the books? Tsk. You need to get on that. I'm glad you enjoyed the movie, though.
Oh, Zuul! As long as it took me to get you to read those books, you don't get to "tsk" anyone! :D
I CAN TSK EVERYONE
TSK
TSK
;)
Not read or seen anything. All I can report is still selling away at it to children and adults alike and it is on at least one high school list. (But 50 Shades Of Grey has eclipsed it in terms of sales.)
:( :( :(Quote:
Originally posted by Zuul
Dude. 50 Shades has eclipsed everything.Quote:
Originally posted by The Original An Gadaí
Up to and including any hope for the future of mankind.Quote:
Originally posted by Marsilia