The Hunger Games

That reminds me, one of my favorite parts of Catching Fire was Philip Hoffman's Plutarch. He made me laugh a lot, even when he was doing really chilling things like suggesting Snow blow up the Districts. Almost everything he said had a double meaning. Anyway, I'm hoping my sig line makes it into the next movie.

I loved it. I thought everyone stepped it up and I loved Mags. She did so much without saying a word. Loved her.

I LOVED it!

I watched The Hunger Games the night before I went to the movies to see Catching Fire. I still like the first one a lot, but it is obviously the weaker of the two. This one was funny and painful and layered. It was great.

What I loved:
JLaw's expression in the elevator as Joanna stripped down. You know, this one.
Lenny Kravitz' Jimi Hendrix headband.
Elizabeth Banks during the Reaping. Effie is my favorite role of hers, and I'm hoping that she

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Stanley Tucci's teeth. (I think this was on my list last time)
The shots of Rue and Rue's family during the Victory Tour. I cried.
The moment where Katniss and Peeta get offered the drink to make them get sick at the party. For some reason (in a book with children killing each other), that always struck me as one of the most twisted things that happens in the series.
Peeta! I may have developed a teeny tiny crush on Josh Hutcherson. The moment when

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NPR had a great article about how Peeta is a Movie Girlfriend. It's a funny concept, but I really appreciate how the writers/directors/Josh Hutcherson didn't shy away from the fact that Peeta is almost always a damsel in distress.

emrie wrote:NPR had a great article about how Peeta is a Movie Girlfriend. It's a funny concept, but I really appreciate how the writers/directors/Josh Hutcherson didn't shy away from the fact that Peeta is almost always a damsel in distress.

I had this EXACT conversation in the car last night on our way home from the movie!

I loved it. I thought Jenna Malone was great as Johanna, and while I had been hoping very, very hard for Armie Hammer as Finnick, I thought Sam Claflin did a fine job. The rest of the tributes were also very good. I sobbed when they showed Rue's family. And I cried again when Effie said goodbye to them. And then again when Cinna got dragged away. I did not remember the stylists being in the first movie at all - were they? I figured they showed up this time, so they can

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Also, I really hope they're filming Mockingjay now, because the girl who plays Prim is going to look older then Jennifer Lawrence by the time it comes out.

I actually thought the scene with the most chemistry was Katniss and Plutarch's dance at the party.

I just really still can't stand Peeta. I don't even think it's Hutcherson anymore (although while I get that Onion review is satire, there really is some truth to it for me in that something in me just recoils when he and Lawrence try to generate any romantic heat), he's just such a needy, annoying character.

Finnick was so NOT how I imagined him, yet he still really worked for me. He was much more aggressive than I expected and had none of the charm, but the scenes with him and Katniss were great.

Jena Malone was perfectly insane and bitter.

And Lawrence was even better than in THG. I think the only moment I cared about Peeta was when he was unconscious and she was freaking out. She had so many stand-out scenes for me, but I think the opening PTSD moments with Gale and the speech to District 11 are the ones where she really broke my heart.

I got a big kick out of how useless Peeta was in a fight. In the scene with the [Editorial note: can't figure out how to spoiler tag properly, so I'll just say that it starts with m and rhymes with donkeys. Hopefully people who want to remain spoiler-free have lost interest by now.] when Finnick and Katniss were being all badass with there weapons, I had a running commentary in my head: 'OK Peeta, bake something! Paint yourself up like a rock! Throw flour at it!'

Heee, it's true, he has no skills for fighting. He's very useful for finding force-fields, though.

Haha, Grainne Mhaol, I thought the same thing about Peeta being useless in a fight. My train of thought was something like, "does he even HAVE a weapon? They didn't have big sacks of flour at the cornucopia, did they? Just run dummy!"

That editorial about Peeta being Katniss's Movie Girlfriend is so true. She keeps having to rescue him!

I seem to remember Plutarch being more ambiguous and cryptic in the book, so I loved that he seemed openly creepy in this one--seemed, because yeah, everything he said had a double meaning. So it looked like he just couldn't wait to get to the game room and start screwing with the victors, when really... you knew what he was planning. Even when he was talking about letting Katniss live long enough to make herself look bad and make everyone hate her--he must believe in her as a person enough to know that wouldn't happen, so it was a great two-faced way to buy her time. And that's why I actually liked that they left out Plutarch's watch and the runaways, because it made "omg District 13 is a thing and he's in on it" feel more like a twist.

I actually thought the scene with the most chemistry was Katniss and Plutarch's dance at the party.

Oh God, I'm so glad I wasn't imagining that. I don't even know what that was.

I loved Donald Sutherland--so creepy and awful and the little bit with the

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in the champagne--eeh.

I love love love Lenny Kravitz and I love that the costumes in this film, esp. her revolutionary wedding dress, were turned up to 11.

PrincessCleo wrote:I seem to remember Plutarch being more ambiguous and cryptic in the book, so I loved that he seemed openly creepy in this one--seemed, because yeah, everything he said had a double meaning. So it looked like he just couldn't wait to get to the game room and start screwing with the victors, when really... you knew what he was planning. Even when he was talking about letting Katniss live long enough to make herself look bad and make everyone hate her--he must believe in her as a person enough to know that wouldn't happen, so it was a great two-faced way to buy her time. And that's why I actually liked that they left out Plutarch's watch and the runaways, because it made "omg District 13 is a thing and he's in on it" feel more like a twist.

I actually thought the scene with the most chemistry was Katniss and Plutarch's dance at the party.

Oh God, I'm so glad I wasn't imagining that. I don't even know what that was.

Thirded.  These movies are so well cast but even so he's a standout.  One double-thing in his performance I only picked up on the second time (because I was so stressed out with FEEEELS and suspense the first time, for a YA dystopia where I already know what's going to happen, what is even up with that) is the part where he has them spin the clock--he says "That's enough. Let's see how they tell time now," all offhand to make them stop, but he only says "That's enough" when he sees Katniss's tracker go red when she's trapped underwater, and there's just the tiniest bit more HOSHIT in his voice before he drops the mask again.  

I really can't get over how good everyone is in their roles, and how much it elevates what could otherwise be a pretty pedestrian story. I love Hutcherson as Peeta, I think he's great. Jesus, I about cried everywhere when

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Seriously, I don't even know how I'm going to handle the last two.

swsa wrote:I just really still can't stand Peeta. I don't even think it's Hutcherson anymore (although while I get that Onion review is satire, there really is some truth to it for me in that something in me just recoils when he and Lawrence try to generate any romantic heat), he's just such a needy, annoying character.

I liked Peeta okay in the books, so for me, the problem really is Hutcherson. I can't get past how miscast I think he is in the role, not just physically, but especially chemistry-wise with Jennifer Lawrence. I buy the two of them as great friends, but not in the least as love interests.

Still, I loved the film - so well done and acted! I'm really glad Francis Lawrence is directing the rest of the series, because I agree this one was better than the first.

In a weird way, that works for me, or at least seems true to the book--I never got much chemistry off them there, either, and only a little bit more with Gale. Like, Katniss was just so traumatized by life that romantic relationships just didn't have the same urgency for her as needing to SAVE PEOPLE OMG ALL THE TIME. I mean, notice how she's most into Peeta in this one, for example, when he's got to be protected/saved/etc. And she seems to be least into him when... Gale needs saving. So I actually buy "good friends" as the basis for any kind of long-term relationship with Katniss.

PrincessCleo wrote:In a weird way, that works for me, or at least seems true to the book--I never got much chemistry off them there, either, and only a little bit more with Gale. Like, Katniss was just so traumatized by life that romantic relationships just didn't have the same urgency for her as needing to SAVE PEOPLE OMG ALL THE TIME. I mean, notice how she's most into Peeta in this one, for example, when he's got to be protected/saved/etc. And she seems to be least into him when... Gale needs saving. So I actually buy "good friends" as the basis for any kind of long-term relationship with Katniss.

It's true, I don't think she's the kind of person who's ever going to be really into romantic love (or at least any kind of conventional expression of it). She shows a lot of other kinds of love, though, like toward Pru and Roo. She really is a warrior-type, and I wonder if we'd even be talking about this if she were male, since it's kind of a standard trope in the male case.

Yeah.

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Yeah, I'm not saying it's not plausible, it's just that I really don't want to WATCH it. I suppose it is comparable to the female love interests that get crammed into action films. I don't think it's as badly done as most of those, but there is still a sense of "Can we just skip this and get back to the politics/games?" whenever a scene between the two of them lasts longer than 20 seconds. For me, it's just by far the least effective part of the films.

Holy CRAP this was so good! I was just gutted. Considering I'm having anxiety issues at present it probably wasn't the best movie for me to see but I am still thinking about it days later. Everyone was wonderful in their parts, especially Elizabeth Banks - you really get the sense of her faith in the Capitol fracturing. And for me, there will never be more chemistry than between Cinna and Katniss. The only weak spot for me was Jena Malone, in her later career I always feel like I can see her acting.

mokey75 wrote:I loved it. I thought Jenna Malone was great as Johanna, and while I had been hoping very, very hard for Armie Hammer as Finnick, I thought Sam Claflin did a fine job.

This is exactly me!  The only casting choices I had any doubts about were these two, Claflin simply because he's not Armie Hammer and all I ever wanted out of this life was for Armie Hammer to play Finnick.  As for Jena Malone, I thought for sure I wouldn't like her because she would seem like she was trying too hard, but I thought they were both great.  The casting for this series has been so solid, I should have known better than to be worried.

I went with my parents to see it today, which was viewing number two.  Something I loved that I didn't notice the first time was that Katniss painted a little beard on her Seneca Crane dummy.  That cracked me up.

I'm in the camp that loves Peeta and loves Hutcherson as Peeta.  I don't think he and Katniss have a ton of chemistry, but like those of you who have said already, I don't really think they're supposed to.  I don't think she has much chemistry with Gale, either, but I don't think chemistry is really the point with these kids.  She and Hutcherson did sell me on that scene on the beach before all the shit started hitting the fan, though.  I guess both of the boys sell me on wanting her to be their lady, and Lawrence sells me on Katniss' total panic at the thought of prioritizing romance at a time like this.

swsa wrote:
I just really still can't stand Peeta. I don't even think it's Hutcherson anymore (although while I get that Onion review is satire, there really is some truth to it for me in that something in me just recoils when he and Lawrence try to generate any romantic heat), he's just such a needy, annoying character.

Haven't read the books, so I really can't tell how much of this is the character versus the actor. Like, would I like him better if he was played by Thor's little brother? Did they cast the teeniest, least manly-looking guy they could find because he's essentially the movie's damsel in distress? Would he be less needy and emotionally manipulative, if he was taller and hotter? I think it's possible.

Since Katniss is clearly all about the PTSD and not so much the romance, but Peeta (and anyone else) still wants to make her feel bad for that, instead of just encouraging them both to fake it and Peeta to suck it up? This bugs me.

The

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I really liked Jena Malone and the guy from POTC4. Peeta should hook up with Jena's character.

particle_person wrote:SESAME STREET HAS HUNGRY GAMES NOM NOM NOM

Holy shit, the puns. THE PUNS! I love puns, so that was basically the best thing I've ever seen, but I know several people who would go into a pun-induced rage blackout before they got to the end. Naturally, I'll be sharing it on all of their Facebook walls.

Finally got to see this! Enjoyed it a lot. Every time Stanley Tucci was on all I could see were his teeth. Mesmerizing.

I would totally be on board for an "I choose me!" Ending for Catniss.

Jena Malone was fun and I like Jeffrey Wright in anything.

I know this is YA, so doubt there will be any allusion to the tons of hate sex I'm sure Effie and Hamich have. Which on some level has to be like going at it with Tammy Faye Baker.