I’m usually RedBox kind of girl, but this was one movie I thought called for the big screen.
I joined the Hunger Games club a little late & figured that was a lost cause until the Brew & View saved the day.
This was my first visit to The Vic's Brew & View & I LOVED IT.
It’s such a smart idea for a theatre space to drop a projection screen & show movies.
I will most definitely be returning to The Vic (specifically for Stephen Marley, Ani DiFranco & The Mountain Goats).
The Book(s) v. The Movie
I read all three books & really enjoyed them. They initially reminded me of one of my favorite short stories, The Lottery by Shirley Jackson. The best part of these books is the creation of a world that is simultaneously accessible & impossibly foreign. It is an imaginative narrative that uses our contemporary America to project a seemingly impossible future. It is the details of this projected, pretend society that create such an intriguing setting. Not to say the obvious, but the book was so much better. If you’ve read the books & liked them, you should see the movie; it won’t provide any new insight or highlight the novels, but it an enjoyable & gratifying accompaniment the text. Accompaniment being the operative word; this movie is not a strong enough entity to stand on its’ own. If you want to see the movie because it has gotten so much attention & want to be in on current pop-culture, don’t bother. Either read the book first, or don’t even bother with the movie. It is not a film that everyone will automatically love, but an enjoyable cinematic tribute (pun intended) to a crazy, contemporary book.
Here is the problem that erupted when this book was translated into a movie: the loss of details. It might just be the fault of a faulty script, but the details that made the book awesome somehow fell through the cracks. There was too much wasted time during the film that could have been used to communicate expository information. There were moments where this was not the case: I loved the moment of the newscaster Caesar [Stanley Tucci] giving an expository newscast to explain what Tracker Jackers are for the viewers at home who forgot. It was also a smart alteration to attach little fortune-cookie comments to the gifts that arrive to the tributes by parachute. In the book, we could read her reaction to & interpretation of these gifts; in the movie, we needed a little note from Haymitch [Woody Harrelson] to nail down his specific sentiment. I don’t love deviations in the process of translating a book to movie, but, in this case, the creative ways to stuff in some exposition were appreciated. However, overall, I don’t think the filmmakers utilized the movie‘s 142 minutes to convey/create this world & story that Suzanne Collins created.
Here is the problem that erupted when this book was translated into a movie: the loss of details. It might just be the fault of a faulty script, but the details that made the book awesome somehow fell through the cracks. There was too much wasted time during the film that could have been used to communicate expository information. There were moments where this was not the case: I loved the moment of the newscaster Caesar [Stanley Tucci] giving an expository newscast to explain what Tracker Jackers are for the viewers at home who forgot. It was also a smart alteration to attach little fortune-cookie comments to the gifts that arrive to the tributes by parachute. In the book, we could read her reaction to & interpretation of these gifts; in the movie, we needed a little note from Haymitch [Woody Harrelson] to nail down his specific sentiment. I don’t love deviations in the process of translating a book to movie, but, in this case, the creative ways to stuff in some exposition were appreciated. However, overall, I don’t think the filmmakers utilized the movie‘s 142 minutes to convey/create this world & story that Suzanne Collins created.
+ Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket: She is a great actress & I am so glad she was cast in this part. She's funny (as displayed on Scrubs & 30 Rock) & loved her in The Next Three Days, Our Idiot Brother, & Definitely, Maybe. The styling of her character was appropriately awesome & married the styles of Queen Elizabeth I, Harijuku Girls, Marie Antoinette, & Judy Jetson.
+ Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy: I'm glad he underplayed a part that could have easily been portrayed as a caricature. I was expecting a little more gruffness. The most interested aspect of Haymitch's character to be the fact that he has had to coach these 2 kids every year & they all die. That pressure & life-long obligation was a little diluted, but I'll let it slide. This time.
+ Lenny Kravitz as Cinna: Cinna's defining characteristic was his sense of thoughtful insight. Since Cinna is a fashion designer, I was expecting a more flamboyant character with a subtle streak of sensitivity. I'm so glad my expectations were off because Kravitz's calm energy was much more authentic to the character in the novel, as well as a nice deviation from the crazy corruption that permeated the rest of the film.
+ Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne: He was a character in this movie, right? I forget because his role got butchered. In the first book, he serves as a character that helps define Katniss' character: his role provides more setting than plot-pointed action. I'll let his absence slide for the first movie; however, his role becomes more pivotal as the series progresses, so I'm hoping to garner a better gauge of his performance in the very distant future (seeing as the second installment will not be hitting theatres until November 2013).
+ Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark: He definitely nailed Peeta's likability quotient. He was appropriately charming while still fulfilling the necessary void of simplicity & good-nature in this psychotic, unnatural world. Peeta's role is more complicated than the nice, blond boy & Hutcherson acted with a sense of authority over his character that I am excited to see challenged in the next movies.
+ Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen: I love nothing more than an apathetic heroine. She was ideal: understated, hardcore, relatable, strong, sassy, etc. She was a great leading lady & a perfect casting choice. She also seemed like Kate from LOST reincarnate. They are both unlikable, long-haired brunette who landed in this crazy jungle by crazy circumstances (and leaves behind a life that relied on crime, secrecy, & physical strength). Also, they can both climb trees & have 2 guys who love them: the bad boy (Gale/Sawyer) & the noble hero (Peeta/Jack).
+ Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman:This man can do no wrong in my book. He's a dynamic actor, but he brings such a lovely, endearing charm to every part he plays. He plays trustworthy parts very well, and he always brings a very layered performance to the table. Caesar is the closest character Hunger Games has to a narrator. We've seen Mr. Tucci play the perfect pseudo-narrator as Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream as well as the sweet man happily/diligently working his way up in the shallow world in The Devil Wears Prada; Caesar Flickerman is marriage of these roles, so it's no surprise that he rocked it.
+ Donald Sutherland as President Snow: He was physical perfection in this part. He created a character so creepy you could smell the blood on his breath in the theatre.
+ Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman:This man can do no wrong in my book. He's a dynamic actor, but he brings such a lovely, endearing charm to every part he plays. He plays trustworthy parts very well, and he always brings a very layered performance to the table. Caesar is the closest character Hunger Games has to a narrator. We've seen Mr. Tucci play the perfect pseudo-narrator as Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream as well as the sweet man happily/diligently working his way up in the shallow world in The Devil Wears Prada; Caesar Flickerman is marriage of these roles, so it's no surprise that he rocked it.
+ Donald Sutherland as President Snow: He was physical perfection in this part. He created a character so creepy you could smell the blood on his breath in the theatre.
I like your new format
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