The Hunger Games

[Smoove_B]

With all of that in mind, it's just fine (with me, anyway) if the movie version of Katniss Everdeen isn't an emaciated waif.

I'm sure the books and movie would have been terrific if a malnourished Katniss died within the first 30 pages because she was too weak to stand up.

Also - everyone focusing on how much she weighs is clearly missing the point of the entire series. More specifically, which boy is cuter and therefore a better match for her.

[GreenGoo]

Also - everyone focusing on how much she weighs is clearly missing the point of the entire series. More specifically, which boy is cuter and therefore a better match for her.

This is the point of the book if you're a fan of Twilight. For everyone else it's a subplot at best.

I know you're kidding around but people are saying that with a straight face.

It's about which boy is cuter in the same way that Star Wars was about whether Leia was going to sexify her brother or the angry loner who plays by nobody's rules, not even his own.

[Odin]

Also - everyone focusing on how much she weighs is clearly missing the point of the entire series. More specifically, which boy is cuter and therefore a better match for her.

And the kissing! Don't forget the kissing!

[Smutly]

That's all you got?

That's probably a sign that it's time to bow out gracefully, use the ignore feature, or just change topics. You're not having a discussion anymore, you're just pissing.

My point was that we weren't having a discussion. I was making points -- he wasn't. In any case, I'm done. It's not against the law to make snarky comments and is obviously within the guidelines here.

[Hyena]

I had forgotten that the winner brought in more rations for he's/her district. Weird. I think that idea even goes away in the books for the most part. When Katniss returns to her district I don't recall any talk about everyone being happy and expecting more food. Perhaps this is another idea that the author brought up and then dropped. Or perhaps my memory is failing me.

There is a bit mentioned in the second book where

Spoiler:

right after Gale gets whipped by the new Commander of Peacekeepers, their extra rations seem to get "delayed" or "spoiled" somehow, and it's not as regular as it's supposed to be. This, of course, further spurns the decision she makes near the beginning of the story on who to side with in the Peeta/Gale situation.

[raydude]

I had forgotten that the winner brought in more rations for he's/her district. Weird. I think that idea even goes away in the books for the most part. When Katniss returns to her district I don't recall any talk about everyone being happy and expecting more food. Perhaps this is another idea that the author brought up and then dropped. Or perhaps my memory is failing me.

There is a bit mentioned in the second book where

Spoiler:

right after Gale gets whipped by the new Commander of Peacekeepers, their extra rations seem to get "delayed" or "spoiled" somehow, and it's not as regular as it's supposed to be. This, of course, further spurns the decision she makes near the beginning of the story on who to side with in the Peeta/Gale situation.

Yeah, there are several mentions of what the winning district gets in Book 2. For example:

Spoiler:

Parcel Day, once per month where food packages are delivered to every person in the district. Then later on a reference to how, even with Parcel Day, Gale's brother Vick talks about how they ration out a can of corn syrup from Parcel Day. Then finally, after the troubles begin, how the long awaited food for Parcel Day finally arrives, spoiled and defiled by rodents.

[pr0ner]

That's all you got?

That's probably a sign that it's time to bow out gracefully, use the ignore feature, or just change topics. You're not having a discussion anymore, you're just pissing.

My point was that we weren't having a discussion. I was making points -- he wasn't. In any case, I'm done. It's not against the law to make snarky comments and is obviously within the guidelines here.

You were making points so outrageous that they were worthy of mockery. Hence, my responses.

[GreenGoo]

I had forgotten that the winner brought in more rations for he's/her district. Weird. I think that idea even goes away in the books for the most part. When Katniss returns to her district I don't recall any talk about everyone being happy and expecting more food. Perhaps this is another idea that the author brought up and then dropped. Or perhaps my memory is failing me.

There is a bit mentioned in the second book where

Spoiler:

right after Gale gets whipped by the new Commander of Peacekeepers, their extra rations seem to get "delayed" or "spoiled" somehow, and it's not as regular as it's supposed to be. This, of course, further spurns the decision she makes near the beginning of the story on who to side with in the Peeta/Gale situation.

Yeah, there are several mentions of what the winning district gets in Book 2. For example:

Spoiler:

Parcel Day, once per month where food packages are delivered to every person in the district. Then later on a reference to how, even with Parcel Day, Gale's brother Vick talks about how they ration out a can of corn syrup from Parcel Day. Then finally, after the troubles begin, how the long awaited food for Parcel Day finally arrives, spoiled and defiled by rodents.

Thanks.

[MHS]

Oh, yeah, she's a fatty all right....



Hot dayum, girl.

[Mr. Fed]

Did Roman slaves really look as well-fed as Kirk Douglas?

[Odin]

Did Roman slaves really look as well-fed as Kirk Douglas?

I could never get into that movie. I mean, at that point in time, there was no ENGLISH for Christ's sake. They spoke LATIN in Rome, people! Dumbasses.

[stessier]

Oh, yeah, she's a fatty all right....



Hot dayum, girl.

I'd bet serious money that image has been squeezed. I am in no way saying she's fat - she isn't - but she isn't a bean pole either.

[GreenGoo]

Did Roman slaves really look as well-fed as Kirk Douglas?

Was Spartacus a reference to how hungry he was?

It's in the title of the freaking book.

[$iljanus]

Did Roman slaves really look as well-fed as Kirk Douglas?

Thracians were big boned.

[Ænima]

Neither Peeta nor Gayle look like they've missed any sammiches. I wonder why no one has mentioned that?

[Sepiche]

Did Roman slaves really look as well-fed as Kirk Douglas?

Actually Roman gladiators were generally well cared for. (Not that I disagree with your point however)

[silverjon]

*emaciated gladiators slap feebly at each other while crowd looks on in apathy*

[Buatha]

So, I'm surprised no one is talking about the following:

Spoiler:

The "hologram" dogs?! I mean, the fire stuff I can almost buy, but the arena was made out to be a wilderness with a bunch of cameras and a perimeter to keep the contestants within the game (fire). But, WTF were those mastiffs(?) supposed to be? Projections of lights...and,and force fields...and stuff?

If anything brought the movie down a notch, it was this scene.

[coopasonic]

Something about sufficiently advanced technology being indistinguishable from magic.

Spoiler:

They weren't holograms, they came up out of the ground. It was a hologram in the games masters room, but a real creature was released in the arena. It's not a wooded area with cameras. It's a massive sound stage. I thik the second movie will really drive that home. There's nothing natural about the arena.

With the dogs they did depart from the books. The dogs should have looked different.

[MHS]

Something about sufficiently advanced technology being indistinguishable from magic.

Spoiler:

They weren't holograms, they came up out of the ground. It was a hologram in the games masters room, but a real creature was released in the arena. It's not a wooded area with cameras. It's a massive sound stage. I thik the second movie will really drive that home. There's nothing natural about the arena.

With the dogs they did depart from the books. The dogs should have looked different.

I was glad they went a different direction from the books with that, too, as with their fx budget, I think sticking with the books would have looked SUPER cheesy.

[Odin]

So, I'm surprised no one is talking about the following:

Spoiler:

The "hologram" dogs?! I mean, the fire stuff I can almost buy, but the arena was made out to be a wilderness with a bunch of cameras and a perimeter to keep the contestants within the game (fire). But, WTF were those mastiffs(?) supposed to be? Projections of lights...and,and force fields...and stuff?

If anything brought the movie down a notch, it was this scene.

The dogs were genetically-engineered constructs, much like the mockingjay on Katniss's pin or the nest of tracker jackers she drops on the careers. In the books, they were actually made from the DNA of the fallen tributes, but that was removed in the film. Regardless, the Capitol has the capacity to alter the playing field more-or-less at will, from the tiny cameras hidden everywhere to the ability to generate explosive fireballs and aim them as needed. This may not have been explained to your satisfaction, but there you have it. My recollection is that it showed the dogs exploding up from the ground, so I believe we were to understand that they were being pushed up from holding areas underneath (the same way the tributes were delivered to their starting spots).

[Remus West]

Can we please focus on what is important here. Rawr.

[GreenGoo]

Neither Peeta nor Gayle look like they've missed any sammiches. I wonder why no one has mentioned that?

I mentioned that like 40 times. You can stop wondering.

[GreenGoo]

*emaciated gladiators slap feebly at each other while crowd looks on in apathy*

Katniss spent the weeks leading up to the games pigging out in an attempt to put on some weight so she wouldn't die of hunger in the first few days (if she couldn't find any food in game).

I'm NEVER letting this go.

[Buatha]

This may not have been explained to your satisfaction, but there you have it. My recollection is that it showed the dogs exploding up from the ground, so I believe we were to understand that they were being pushed up from holding areas underneath (the same way the tributes were delivered to their starting spots).

Oh, okay, that makes sense. I can't exactly recall, but I thought he said something along the lines of "summon" me some dogs, they showed a holographic representation of the dog, then they were there. My colleague at work and my wife had the same impression, so it wasn't just me.

[pr0ner]

Can we please focus on what is important here. Rawr.

I could post a picture of her from X-Men: First Class, but that might be considered NSFW.

[Smutly]

*emaciated gladiators slap feebly at each other while crowd looks on in apathy*

Katniss spent the weeks leading up to the games pigging out in an attempt to put on some weight so she wouldn't die of hunger in the first few days (if she couldn't find any food in game).

I'm NEVER letting this go.

It's strange. I can't find any photos of Katniss from the movie where I remember thinking she had too much meat on her bones. Plenty of her top, but very few from the movie of her legs.

[Isgrimnur]

Mockingjay director named:

Lionsgate announced on Thursday that The Hunger Games: Catching Fire director Francis Lawrence will remain with the franchise and direct parts 1 and 2 of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay.
The announcement means Lawrence, who’s been shooting Catching Fire since September, will have helmed three out of the four feature adaptations of Suzanne Collins’ best-selling YA novel series. The filmmaker, previously best known for 2007′s Will Smith thriller I Am Legend, stepped in to direct Catching Fire after The Hunger Games director Gary Ross left the franchise, citing concerns that the sequel’s production schedule was moving too quickly. (Catching Fire has been slated for a Nov. 22, 2013 release since Aug. 2011.)

[Bakhtosh]

[GreenGoo]

Are any of the books worthy of 2 films? That seems needlessly ambitious and self important. I mean, they just aren't that good, and as far as I know, have a smaller following than Harry Potter or Twilight.

Is there a big enough market for draw these stories out over multiple films?

[MHS]

Are any of the books worthy of 2 films? That seems needlessly ambitious and self important. I mean, they just aren't that good, and as far as I know, have a smaller following than Harry Potter or Twilight.

Is there a big enough market for draw these stories out over multiple films?

Considering how most people agree that the last book was the weakest of the three, I don't think it needed a two-part movie at all. Not sure whether there's a big enough market for it or not. I doubt I'll see the remaining movies in the theater either way.

[Odin]

Are any of the books worthy of 2 films? That seems needlessly ambitious and self important. I mean, they just aren't that good, and as far as I know, have a smaller following than Harry Potter or Twilight.

Is there a big enough market for draw these stories out over multiple films?

Considering how most people agree that the last book was the weakest of the three, I don't think it needed a two-part movie at all. Not sure whether there's a big enough market for it or not. I doubt I'll see the remaining movies in the theater either way.

Yeah, that was my thought as well. Turning the final movie into a two-parter just seems to be "the thing to do" these days, but it's emphatically not necessary in this case.

[pr0ner]

Are any of the books worthy of 2 films? That seems needlessly ambitious and self important. I mean, they just aren't that good, and as far as I know, have a smaller following than Harry Potter or Twilight.

Is there a big enough market for draw these stories out over multiple films?

Considering how most people agree that the last book was the weakest of the three, I don't think it needed a two-part movie at all. Not sure whether there's a big enough market for it or not. I doubt I'll see the remaining movies in the theater either way.

Parts of Catching Fire are being shot with IMAX cameras. That's as good a reason as any to get my butt in a theatre for it.

[Isgrimnur]

[Skinypupy]

Mrs Skinypupy finally talked me into watching Hunger Games with her on Monday. She loved it, I thought it was one of the least enjoyable movies I've seen in a long, long time. It alternated between boring and eye-rollingly stupid, with most of it being a combination of the two. The film's only redeeming factor was the change to ogle Jennifer Lawrence for a couple hours. Other than that, blech.

[Isgrimnur]

If you want to ogle Jennifer Lawrence for a couple more hours, I recommend Silver Linings Playbook. It'll get bonus points from the wife, as it's Oscar nominated. It also contains nontrivial amounts of football talk.

[Jaymon]

I started watching this today, about 10 minutes so far.

Question? Is this movie filmed entirely in shakeycam? Does it settle down and stop pretending to be a documentary? Because I am already starting to feel ill.

[Moliere]

The Onion Reviews 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire'

Given the target audience he nails the key deficiency of this movie.

[Scuzz]

The Onion Reviews 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire'

Given the target audience he nails the key deficiency of this movie.

Well, no reason for me to go see then.

[Jeff V]

Did Roman slaves really look as well-fed as Kirk Douglas?

If they were being trained as gladiators, then probably yes. Or, to be more precise, they were given the nutrition required (just like the military). Romans were very good at physical training (fat-assed senators not withstanding) and did a good job meeting nutritional requirements to create pretty fearsome fighters. Gladiators were typically well cared-for until they were expected to die. If they were emaciated slaves, the gladiator revolt wouldn't have enjoyed the success it did and would not have posed a threat to the Roman government.